All Warfare Is Based On Deception
by CarlyCo
Summary: The merger of the Bennett and Salvatore Families played like a fairy tale in the tabloids. After four years of marriage, Damon and Bonnie's relationship is plagued by lies, secrets, infidelity & violence. Bonnie has finally realized that fairy tales aren't real and that she needs to grow up fast.Will Damon and Bonnie's marriage be able to weather the oncoming storm?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story was originally posted by me on another site. However, one of the readers asked if I could share the story here as well. This is primarily a Bamon story. It is an All Human/AU that focuses heavily on the mob. While this story is set in present day, this is an alternate universe where the crime families are structured to be reminiscent of the American Mafia when it was at the height of its power. I hope that everyone enjoys the story!**

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Rose wrinkled her nose as she walked into the penthouse suite. The smell of stale alcohol and vomit assaulted her senses immediately. She pulled off her leather gloves and motioned for the concierge to leave her packages near the door. She retrieved a crisp $50 bill from her purse and looked at the young man in front of her. "Please, tell the kitchen to send up a breakfast spread along with a fresh pot of coffee in exactly 35 minutes. Send a discreet maid up in an hour."

He nodded in the affirmative and took the tip from Rose. He was Mr. Salvatore's personal concierge whenever he stayed at their hotel. There was no manner of debauchery that the young man had not witnessed in his three short years working there. "Yes, Ma'am."

She turned on the lights in the living room when she heard the doors snick as they closed. The penthouse looked as if Guns N Roses had stayed the weekend. Unfortunately, Rose's employer and his mistress caused this carnage. To be fair, she was certain that they weren't the only ones responsible for the mess in front of her. Katherine did so love to invite people over to the penthouse. She loved to show off the wealth that didn't belong to her—and never would. However, Rose supposed that she could understood wanting to flaunt the success of one's paramour. Damon was only 31 years old but he was the CEO of Velocita, the world's leading Italian sports car manufacturer.

Rose unbuttoned her leather jacket and hung it on the coat rack near the door. She crossed the room to the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Then she marched into the bedroom without bothering to knock. She had long since grown immune to see her employer's naked body.

Rose placed the bottle of water and a pill organizer on the nightstand. Then she picked up the remote and opened the automated shades. The room was instantly bathed with early morning sunlight. She smiled as she heard grumbles of complaints behind her. Rose turned around in her 5 inch pumps and exclaimed, "Rise and shine, Mr. Salvatore!"

Damon growled and said, "I should fire you for this bullshit!"

Rose rolled her eyes and pulled the blanket from over his head. "Yes, you would fire me if you were capable of surviving without me. Unfortunately, we both know that you would die in a pool of your own vomit without my intervention. Now get up! Your two-week vacation is over and now it is time for you to be an adult once more. You have a business to run and a family that needs you."

Katherine sat up as naked as the day she was born. If looks could kill then Rose would be dead a thousand times over. To say that the two women didn't get along would be an understatement. They hated each other and rarely managed to remain civil behind closed doors. "You should finally fire her, Damon. She's disrespectful and doesn't know her place. I could be your personal assistant."

Rose laughed heartily. "I am sure you could if sucking his cock and snorting cocaine were the only job requirements. Alas, I'm afraid your special skill set wouldn't prove to be helpful."

Katherine's face looked as if she had sucked a lemon. "You uppity bitch!"

"Yes, I might be an uppity bitch, but this bitch doesn't have to earn her living on her back. Every day you are getting closer to 35. What are you going to do when you're too old to be someone's whore? I certainly hope that you've been investing wisely."

The brunette woman lunged at Rose but was caught around the waist by Damon. She glared at him. "Are you going to let her talk to me like that?"

Damon chuckled and sat up in the bed. "You started the shit with her, Katherine. You don't get to bitch when she checks you. As much as I would like to see the two of you fighting over me, I have a headache. So kindly shut the fuck up."

Katherine huffed while flipping Rose the bird. She climbed out of the bed and sauntered into the bathroom.

Rose opened the bottle of water and handed it to Damon with his pill organizer. "Take every single one of those vitamins. I know you haven't been eating properly while you were on this bender."

He dutifully did as instructed because Rose was right as usual. He drank most of his meals for the last two weeks. "Why are you here this morning? I'm not due in the office for two more days."

She sat down on the nightstand and leveled a serious gaze at him. "I am here because last night I received a call from Sophie. She informed me that Mrs. Salvatore and young Sarah have not been home in two weeks. In fact, they left the house in the middle of the night. She didn't tell a soul and you know that's not like Bonnie. I called to ensure that she was safe."

A knot formed in the pit of Damon's stomach. He hadn't spoken to his wife since he left for his vacation. He facetimed with Sarah every couple of days but he couldn't really focus while she rambled about her days. His daughter had the ability to talk a million miles an hour. "Are they okay? I talked to Sarah a few days ago. Everything seemed fine."

Rose gave him a dubious look because Sarah couldn't hold water. She certainly would have told her father that she was on vacation with her mother. "I spoke to Bonnie last night. She's staying at her family's home in Shadow Hills."

Damon frowned at his wife's choice of getaway. Shadow Hills was where Bonnie's great-great-grandparents started settled nearly 100 years ago. The town had about 50,000 year round residents and the Bennett family practically owned it. Shadow Hills was probably the one place in the world where Bonnie could disappear from the public eye completely. It would be where Bonnie would go if she wanted to feel safe. He licked his lips. "What day did she leave?"

"It seems that Bonnie left the same night that she had dinner with your father…alone," Rose said. Her voice showed her apprehension about such a thing happening.

Damon was out of the bed in a flash. "What do you mean she had dinner alone with Giuseppe? Stefan and Caroline were supposed to be there. It's the only reason I felt comfortable leaving before Giuseppe left the country."

Rose stood and said, "Well, you know that Zach took his family skiing. Stefan took Caroline, Tony, and the twins to Paris to visit your mother. They didn't return until two days ago. I'm assuming that he didn't say anything because he knew that you would disapprove."

His younger brother had assumed right. He hated both of their parents and couldn't understand how Stefan gave Lilly a pass for their screwed up childhoods. Giuseppe was an abusive asshole but she left him when Stefan was six years old. Unfortunately, she also left her two sons alone with the violent drunk. Damon had bore the brunt of the abuse to protect his baby brother. Things got better once Zach graduated from college. Zach had no problem getting into fistfights with his older brother to protect his nephews. Unfortunately, Damon was 18 at that point and didn't really need protection anymore. He gritted out, "I am going to need more than two days with my family. I don't care what's going on at work…make it happen, Rose."

She smiled smugly. "I've already handled it. The board knows that you have contracted viral pneumonia and will be unavailable for the next week. However, you will teleconference if there's an emergency. I have breakfast on its way up in another 20 minutes and I brought a clean suit for you to wear."

Damon said, "I am not staying for breakfast. I need to get to Shadow Hills now."

"I understand the urgency but the jet won't be ready to leave for an hour. You need to be at your best when you see Bonnie. You don't know what sort of state she will be in, Damon. You're going to have to do your best to make her feel that you give a damn."

He snapped. "Of course I give a damn! She's my wife, Rose."

Rose frowned because she understood his panic but it was of no use to them now. "There are three possible scenarios here. The best that we can hope for is that your toxic dump of a father verbally abused your wife to the point that she decided to vacate your home to get away from him. The less appealing option is that he got drunk and physically assaulted your wife while you were off playing hide the salsiccia with your whore. And the worst…"

"Stop," he growled. "I know that you don't approve of my relationship with Katherine."

She sighed. "This has nothing to do with Katherine. I don't care who you're screwing. However, I care when you leave your 21-year-old wife to be accosted by your father. You can blame this on Stefan for making plans without your knowledge but it isn't his responsibility to protect your wife. To top it off, you have so little concern for her that it didn't occur to you to speak to her in two weeks time, Damon."

Damon sat back down and scrubbed at his shaggy hair. "Are you done?"

Rose stared at him until she heard the shower turn off in the bathroom. "I'll leave you to it. I will make sure to hang your suit up in the closet. I also brought shoes. I am going to go call Lucy to see if she's heard from her cousin. I'd like to know what sort of shit show we're walking into when we make it to Shadow Hills. You had better hope that options two and three didn't happen. Because the prenuptial agreement you signed is very punitive. She'll walk away with half of your company and three bloody seats on your board. Not to mention that your five year old daughter will lose the only mother she's ever known. If she doesn't make a case for joint custody."

Damon watched as his assistant and friend stormed out of the room. She was right that this was his fault. It wasn't just that Damon was away when Bonnie needed him, it was the fact that she hadn't reached out to him since. Maybe his wife felt that she couldn't or worse believed that he wouldn't care.

Rose returned with a garment bag and a shoebox. She placed both in the closet and left again.

Giuseppe and Sheila had arranged the marriage between Damon and Bonnie. They played up the love story aspect in interviews and at public functions. However, anyone with a lick of common sense would question why a 27-year-old man would marry a 17-year-old girl. The truthful answer was that Bonnie's grandmother, Sheila Bennett, learned that she had stage four liver cancer before the girl's 17th birthday. The doctors gave the Bennett matriarch 6 months to live. At that point, it became a race against time to safeguard her family's legacy and her granddaughter's inheritance.

Bonnie's mother was a free spirit that abandoned her when she was 4 years old. Sheila would have never entrusted the company to Abby. Her grandparents had built the company up from nothing at a time when it was difficult for a person of color to succeed in America. Knowing Abby, she would trade the company for a handful of colorful magic beans.

Sheila never liked Bonnie's father. Rudy Hopkins saw his daughter sparingly after relinquishing custody to his mother-in-law...for a price. He all but ransomed Bonnie to Sheila after Abby took off for Europe without so much as a goodbye. The $2.5 million settlement was steep but Sheila would have paid twice that to protect Bonnie.

Her desire to protect her heir was the reason she arranged the marriage between Damon and Bonnie. The Salvatore and Bennett families had a long history. They had been business associates since the 50's. There were even rumors of Giuseppe and Sheila having a relationship before he married Lilly. The Bennett family, much like the Salvatores, was a curious mix of legitimate business and organized crime. The Salvatore patriarch jumped at the chance to merge their interests. However, Damon was more reluctant. He didn't want to get married and certainly not to a girl that was just graduating from high school. He only agreed after Giuseppe promised to let him run the newly merged corporation without interference. Velocita's shares tripled in value when the company absorbed Bennett Technologies. BT boasted patents on some of the most efficient and fastest engines and propulsion systems on the market.

Katherine emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body. She walked into the closet and looked through her clothes. She lived in the penthouse whenever she was in the city. However, she traveled a great deal on Damon's dime. He was very generous with his money as long as Katherine made herself available to him.

Damon went into the bathroom without speaking to her. He didn't want to deal with her ridiculous jealousy. Katherine could be incredibly thin skinned when it came to his marriage. In fairness, his relationship with her predated his marriage to Bonnie.

He stepped into the glass shower enclosure and turned on the shower. Damon didn't know how he would make this up to Bonnie. He wasn't just concerned about the fallout from a divorce. He loved his wife even if he wasn't in love with her. Damon would never want to be the cause of any pain for her. Bonnie had been amazing from the moment they announced the engagement. She was mature beyond her years. Bonnie understood how the game was played and acted accordingly at all times. However, she won his heart with how she doted on Sarah. His daughter was barely a year old when he married Bonnie. She immediately bonded with Sarah…perhaps more so than he had in her short life.

Katherine walked into the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror and put on her makeup. She asked, "When will I see you again?"

Damon shampooed his hair. "I don't know, Katherine. Why?"

"I was thinking that I might spend a few weeks in The Canary Islands. I didn't want to leave if there was a chance that you might want to see me."

He considered it for a moment and then stepped under the spray to rinse his hair. "It's fine. You'll have to fly commercial. I am taking the jet."

Katherine stopped putting on mascara and turned to look at him. "Where are you going?"

Damon ignored her question. "You'll be in first class. It won't be so bad."

She stormed out of the bathroom and slammed the door in her wake.

Damon frowned and finished with his shower. Afterwards he dried off and brushed his teeth before going into the bedroom. He went to the dresser and retrieved a clean pair of boxers. He had plenty of clothes here since this was his home away from home. However, today he needed something special. He hoped that the suit Rose brought for him said 'Sorry I left you alone with my homicidal father. Please, don't divorce me'.

Breakfast had arrived by the time that Damon finished getting dressed. He had a seat across from Rose at the table and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Katherine wants to go to The Canary Islands."

"I know. I am working on the arrangements now," Rose replied without looking up from her tablet.

"Where is she now?"

She said, "I don't know. I only heard her mumbling something about making you pay as she left the penthouse."

Damon chuckled, "Uh, she's probably going shopping with my credit again."

Rose finished booking Katherine's flight and then stood up. She walked over to the couch and picked up three shopping bags. She placed them in the chair beside Damon. "I have gift selections for Bonnie and Sarah. Look through them and pick one."

He took a bite of his omelet and then picked up a bag. He looked at the jewelry options meant for Bonnie. Damon sighed and said, "Depending on what happened it might be a good idea to give her everything."

Rose nodded in agreement.

"Did you manage to speak with Lucy?" He returned everything to the bags.

"The good news is that she hasn't heard from Bonnie."

"What's the bad news?" he asked. Damon was relieved that the fallout was contained. It would be easier to smooth things over with his wife if her family wasn't involved. Her extended family would come out of the woodwork at the prospect of the 21-year-old gaining half of a fortune 500 company.

Rose said, "Well, that is also the bad news. I can't think of a reason why Bonnie wouldn't reach out to her closest relative. Something has to be very wrong. Unfortunately, my call to Lucy tipped her off that something happened. She's in Sydney now but she will try to make it back to the States next week. You will need to have shored things up with Bonnie by then. We can't have outside voices telling her to divorce you."

He snorted. "I thought you would want Bonnie to leave me."

"Why would you think a thing like that?"

Damon gave her a knowing look. They had been friends since college and Rose never held her tongue for long. She was one of the few people in the world that didn't fear him.

"I think that you can be a better husband than you have been to her. That being said, Bonnie's grandmother didn't trust a single person in her family to protect that girl's best interest. She trusted you, Damon. Ms. Sheila believed that you had a good heart where it truly mattered. While Giuseppe was talking about her legacy, it was you that understood that Bonnie was her legacy."

Damon's eyes closed in frustration. He snapped, "I don't know what you expect from me, Rose. I treat Bonnie well. I give her everything she could possibly want. I agreed to her taking those classes at the university. I even told her she could go to school full-time on campus. She's the one that turned me down and opted to take online classes at USC. I am giving her everything that I can."

Rose stared at him in disbelief. "You really don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "You don't know that your wife is in love with you. You might have spent half your life sleeping with women but you certainly can't read them to save your life. Bonnie tries her best to impress you and to make you happy, Damon."

The raven-haired playboy sat there stunned by Rose's revelation. He wondered if it could be true. Had his wife fallen in love with him while he wasn't looking?


	2. Welcome to Shadow Hills

Damon looked at his watch as the chauffeured town car passed through the wrought iron gates of the Benedetto-Vicario Winery. Bonnie's great-great-grandparents founded the winery and a spirits company by the same name shortly after the end of Prohibition. The wealth generated from those business ventures ultimately funded Bennett Technologies and launched Bonnie's family into international acclaim. Bennett Technologies was responsible for the lion's share of the Bennett Family's wealth. However, the family had never forgotten their roots. Sheila was the CEO of the wine and spirits company until she was diagnosed with liver cancer. Afterwards she named her niece, Tessa, the CEO until Bonnie graduated from college.

Shadow Hills would always be a safe haven for Bonnie. It was where Sheila raised her. Moreover, the Bennett family owned a winery, a spirits company, a cherry orchard, and an apple orchard in the small town. A Bennett Technologies manufacturing facility was also located there despite the merger with Velocita four years ago. Many of Shadow Hill's approximately 50,000 year-round residents worked for one of the family's businesses. The family had also donated millions of dollars over the years to the hospital, schools, and public works department. The Bennetts were essentially the first family of Shadow Hills. Therefore, the residents went to great lengths to ensure their privacy.

The car came to a stop in front of the sprawling two-story Greek revival mansion. Damon suddenly felt incredibly nervous as he waited for the chauffeur to open his door. He had no idea what he would encounter once he walked into the house. He had seen his father's handiwork up close in the past. He knew how easily Giuseppe could ignore the fact that he was handling the fairer sex. Damon had witnessed it with his own mother and later with Giuseppe's mistresses. Alcohol was usually the catalyst for his violent behavior. Yet Damon never excused his father's actions. Giuseppe made the choice to get so drunk as to lose all inhibition. The booze didn't turn him into a monster, it only freed him to show his true nature.

Rose placed a hand on Damon's knee as the chauffeur opened his door. "Go check on Bonnie. I'll sort out the driver and our luggage."

Damon gave Rose a grateful nod and then climbed out of the car. Few things could scare a man like him. However, he was terrified of what he might find as he unlocked the front door of his wife's childhood home. The massive mansion was silent as he walked into the two-story foyer. He stopped by the living room but found it empty save for toys sprawled across the floor. Damon's lips twitched into a small smile. Bonnie must have bought toys for Sarah after arriving. She was always ensuring that his daughter could be a child in a way that he had never been afforded.

He walked around the first floor checking out the common rooms before deciding that his wife and daughter must be upstairs. Damon slowly climbed the stairs and sought out the master bedroom. Bonnie had taken over the room once Sheila died. It made her feel closer to her grandmother. However, it had also symbolized her ascension as the head of the Bennett family. She was only 17 years old at the time. Nevertheless, everyone understood that she would grow into the matriarch of the family.

Damon stepped into the bedroom and found his wife and daughter fast asleep in the four-poster bed. A fire crackled across the room to keep them warm on the chilly autumn afternoon. Sarah was burrowed under the thick duvet cover but she was clutching Bonnie for dear life in her sleep. Damon walked over to the bed and reached out to caress Sarah's curly raven tinted hair. However, he stopped short when Bonnie's face came into view. Damon felt bile rising in his throat as he stared at the angry splash of purple, black, and green that marred her beautiful caramel skin. His wife's lip was busted and both of her eyes were black. His eyes moved down to survey the rest of her body but an oversized paisley kaftan hid her skin from view.

Damon turned around and walked out of the room without disturbing the sleeping pair. He marched downstairs just as Rose was saying goodbye to the chauffeur.

Rose froze when she turned around and saw the expression on Damon's face. She swallowed nervously and asked, "How bad is it?"

"It looks like Bonnie went ten rounds with a prize fighter, Rose. And that's only what I can see of her face while she's sleeping. This is my fault. I should have made sure that someone was going to be there. I knew canceling at the last minute would piss off Giuseppe but I didn't think that he would take it out on Bonnie. She's just a kid for God's sake."

However, Damon should have known better. Giuseppe had never cared about raising his hand to his own children or his wife. Why would his daughter-in-law be any different?

"What can I do?" she asked. Her heart ached for her boss and for the girl she had come to view as a little sister.

Damon walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. He finished the glass off in three gulps. "Find a doctor in town. I want one on standby for when Bonnie wakes up. I don't know if she's seen one yet…"

"Say no more," she replied. "I'm on it. Bonnie will have the best of care and I will put the fear of God into the doctor to ensure discretion."

He refilled his glass and then sat down on the cream tufted sofa. Damon stared at the toys on the floor and shook his head. He had screwed up but he would find a way to make it up to his wife. Damon took out his phone and called his uncle. He needed his levelheaded advice because he was close to losing it. Damon could only imagine slitting Giuseppe's throat in retribution. He deserved to die for touching what belonged to Damon.

Zach answered on the second ring. He said, "Hi, Damon. What inspired this unexpected call? I thought that you were still on vacation."

Damon just held the phone for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. He took a harsh gulp of bourbon.

"Damon?" the older man asked cautiously. His nephew was always quick with a joke or a jab. It had been their relationship since Damon was a boy. They were more brothers than uncle and nephew.

"He beat my wife, Zio," Damon said. His voice was raw from the strain and the bourbon.

"Hold on," he said. Zach rose from his desk and locked the door so that he wouldn't be interrupted. He was in his office at Velocita's corporate headquarters. Zach was the company's chief operating officer. "What the hell happened, Damon?"

"I fucked up," he replied.

He hated hearing the brokenness in Damon's voice. He had heard it too often when he was away at college. Damon would call him in the middle of the night to tell him what new hell Giuseppe had put him through that day. Zach understood the helplessness all too well. Giuseppe had raised him from the time he was five years old. He had known violence from his brother's hand for as long as he could remember. "What happened?"

"I don't know exactly. Giuseppe wanted to have a family dinner before he left for Milazzo. It was the start of my vacation so I cancelled at the last minute. I had Sophie tell him that I wouldn't make it. I did it to push his buttons. I just wanted him to know that he couldn't order me around anymore. You know how I like getting under his skin."

Zach said, "I do. I went through the same phase after college. I wanted…needed to show him that I wasn't the little boy that feared him any longer."

Damon gave a hollow laugh at the sickness that was their family. "I thought that Stefan and Caroline were going to be home that night. Only Stefan decided that my vacation was the perfect time to sneak off to Paris. Apparently, he's been visiting Lilly behind my back."

The elder Salvatore wasn't surprised that Stefan was in contact with Lilly. He had a bigger capacity to forgive than Damon did. "Stefan left Bonnie there alone? He knew that I had taken Meredith and the kids to Sweden!"

"That's what I thought but no. He left earlier in the day and I didn't cancel until right before dinnertime. He had no way of knowing that I wouldn't be there to protect my wife. I didn't find out about any of this until Rose came to the penthouse this morning. Sophie called her to say that Bonnie had taken Sarah and disappeared in the middle of the night two weeks ago. Rose found out that Bonnie was staying here in Shadow Hills. I feared the worst so I flew out here to see her in person. My God, her face, Zio. I am scared to find out what else he did. She's asleep right now and I didn't have the heart to wake her."

He sucked in a breath and asked, "Do you want me fly up there? I could bring Meredith with me. She can conduct an examination and we can keep the extent of Bonnie's injuries within the family until we figure out what to do. It's obvious that she hasn't been to the hospital or this would have hit the tabloids already."

"I don't know. I don't know the right thing to do in this situation. I don't want to overwhelm Bonnie. She's been through enough, but I could use your support right about now," Damon replied.

Zach knew how hard it was for Damon to admit that he needed anyone. Giuseppe had beaten that out of him long ago. He said, "I'll be there before dinnertime, Damon. Just take it easy with the drinking. Okay? After what Bonnie went through with Gio the last thing she needs is to wake up to her drunken husband."

Damon dropped the glass onto the coffee table as if it had burned him. He hadn't even considered how it would be perceived by Bonnie. "Thank you."

"You're my nephew and I love you, Damon. I'll speak with Stefan and Alaric to let them know what's happening. You just focus on your family. I'll call you when we make it to Shadow Hills."

"Okay. Bye." Damon ended the call and then sat in silence. His head was spinning and he didn't know what to do next.

Damon's family tree was complicated because of his grandfather's frequent infidelity. Domenico's first wife was Rosemary and she was Giuseppe's mother. Alaric's mother had been Domenico's mistress until his first wife died. Then Domenico married Alaric's mother, Amalie. Later he took another mistress, Cecilia. Cecilia was Zach's mother.

Domenico and Cecilia died in a plane crash while returning from vacation. Amalie refused to acknowledge Zach and was prepared to see him in the care of the state. However, Giuseppe took the boy into his home. He raised Zach as his son and afforded him all the benefits of the Salvatore name despite his illegitimate birth.

Domenico had split his fortune between his three sons. However, he left everything in Giuseppe's care until the other two boys were of age. Alaric and Zach were ten and five years old respectively when Domenico died. Amalie reluctantly let Alaric spend time with Zach because Giuseppe was holding the purse strings. Ric spent every summer and all the major holidays with his brothers and nephews for years. When he was fifteen Giuseppe demanded that he live at the Salvatore Manor full-time and Amalie agreed.

Rose walked into the room. "I managed to get in touch with the Bennett family's long-time physician. I didn't explain the situation. I only asked that he make himself available for the next few days. He's on-call for the next 72 hours and we will have full access to his office after hours. I didn't know if Bonnie might need X-rays or perhaps an MRI."

He nodded. "Thank you, Rose. I spoke to Zach. He's going to fly up here with Meredith. We may not need the doctor after all but it was smart to secure the use of his facilities. I hadn't considered the equipment we might need."

"Is there anything else that I can do?"

Damon stared at his half-finished glass of bourbon. He said, "Find me some mints and put away the liquor, please. All of it."

Rose smiled in approval and dug a tin of mints from her purse. She handed them to Damon and then picked up his glass from the table. Rose finished his drink and shrugged. "There's no sense in wasting good bourbon."

He snorted and tossed a couple mints into his mouth. He said, "Touché."

"I'll be back in a moment. I am going to find a box or a crate so that I can move the bottles."

Damon raked a hand through his hair as he stood up. Hiding downstairs wasn't going to change what was waiting for him upstairs. He picked up the gift bags for Bonnie and Sarah before climbing the stairs once more. He quietly entered the master bedroom and found that his family was still sleeping peacefully.

He sat down in one of the chairs situated beside the fireplace. Then Damon took out his phone and put it on silent so that it wouldn't disturb Bonnie and Sarah. He was sure to receive calls and text messages soon from Stefan and Ric.

He watched Bonnie sleep with an overwhelming sense of guilt. He wondered what she told Sarah about the bruises on her face. His daughter was smart and inquisitive for a 5 year old. Damon felt sick wondering if Sarah knew the truth. He would never forgive himself if Sarah had been exposed to Giuseppe's violence. Damon cursed his selfishness for putting his wife and daughter in the line of fire. He could have bought a home to share with Bonnie when they married. However, his ambition led him to do Giuseppe's bidding despite hating the man with every fiber of his being.

Damon still lived in his childhood home—Stefan and Zach did as well. However, he thought he was out of the woods when Giuseppe decided to spend more time in the Old Country. He was shoring up their connections for the time when he would step down and name Damon as his successor. He had been trained to be the head of the family since he was a child. Giuseppe raised Zach and had a lot of input on Ric's upbringing.

However, they weren't his children. Giuseppe raised Zach to be Damon's consigliere. Meanwhile, Ric had been working for years as Giuseppe's underboss. He had learned at the feet of their uncle Bruno. Ric would continue in the position under Damon. Stefan didn't get his hands dirty with the family business. However, he had gone to college and graduated with a degree in accounting. One day he would be expected to handle the family's books. He would help maintain the firewall between the Salvatore's legal and illegal businesses. It was a delicate operation that took skill and an encyclopedic knowledge of all the family's business dealings and shell companies.

The playboy looked out of the window and stared at the rows of grape vines in the distance. He could understand the appeal of spending time here in Shadow Hills. It was more peaceful than the Salvatore Manor was. There were always people bustling around the Manor, whether it was staff or members of the family. Ric, his wife, and daughters were the only ones that didn't live at the Manor full-time. However, they were always there during the summer and holidays per Giuseppe's demands. He kept his family under this thumb as much as possible.

When Damon looked back to the bed, he was met with verdant eyes staring back at him. He slowly stood up and made his way to the bed. "Hi, bunny."

She smiled a little at his use of her childhood nickname. Bonnie held her arm in an awkward position as she slowly sat up in the bed. She stared at her husband for a few seconds. She was happy to see him but also self-conscious about her appearance. Bonnie whispered, "Hi."

He zeroed in on Bonnie's arm. He swallowed thickly and asked, "Is it broken?"

"I don't think so. I can move it and I've been able to pick up Sarah. It just hurts when I move it too much," she replied.

Damon was relieved because she was mostly like right about her arm not being broken. "But you haven't seen a doctor?"

Bonnie shook her head. "I couldn't…I didn't want anyone to find out."

Damon held back a growl when he saw the shame on his wife's face. She wasn't the one that should be feeling ashamed. "We need to talk about what happened."

"Can it wait until after Sarah is awake? She gets upset when she wakes up without me. She's been having nightmares," Bonnie said. She looked down at the slumbering girl.

Damon smiled when he saw the genuine affection Bonnie had for his daughter. However, he was concerned about the nightmares. It didn't take a genius to figure out their source. "We don't have to leave the room. We can just sit over by the fireplace. We'll both be right here if Sarah wakes up."

Bonnie considered his suggestion and then nodded in agreement. Stalling the inevitable wasn't a wise decision. She gingerly climbed off the bed and walked over to the fireplace. Her steps were overly cautious as if she was anticipating pain.

He stepped forward and took Bonnie's uninjured arm because it looked as if she might teeter over. Sometimes he forgot how tiny his young bride was. Damon helped her into a chair.

"Thank you," Bonnie said.

"I'm sorry," he said without preamble. "I am sorry that I wasn't there that night. I am sorry that I purposely angered my father and accidentally left you to bear his wrath. I thought Stefan would be home but it is no excuse. It is my job to protect you."

Bonnie could see the genuine remorse etched on her husband's face. She said, "You aren't responsible for what happened, Damon. Giuseppe is nearly 63 years old. Certainly, he is capable of restraining himself. Anyway, it wasn't anything that you did that made him lash out at me."

Damon wanted to believe her but the guilt threatened to swallow him whole. He knew how petty and vindictive that Giuseppe could be. He didn't believe that the attack on Bonnie was anything other than a way of punishing him. Damon's feelings for his wife might have been complicated but she was his. The idea of anyone else even looking at her drove him into madness. "What happened?"

"Giuseppe was a nightmare during dinner. He drank more than he ate and started to talk badly about you. I tried to calm and placate him but he would have none of it. He just got louder and more vulgar. However, his mood took a turn when I objected to him talking that way with Sarah in the room. She is only a child and shouldn't have to pay for your feud. He called Sarah's birth mother a whore to her face. He told her that her mother never wanted her and didn't love her. Sarah thought he was talking about me. She started crying. He started yelling at her to shut up. I took her from the table and tried to reassure her. Then I put Sarah to sleep and prayed that Giuseppe had stumbled to bed."

Damon's fists clenched at his side. Giuseppe had never directed his rage at Sarah before. The coward had only done so that night because there was no one there to stop him. Bonnie was but a waif of a girl. She could hardly pose any sort of physical threat to him. Unfortunately, physical violence was the only sort of chastisement the elder Salvatore understood.

Bonnie licked her lips and felt her tongue graze the laceration caused by the back of her father-in-law's hand. "I decided to call it a night. I hoped that Giuseppe would be on a plane for Milazzo by morning. But he was sitting in the dark when I walked into the room. He hit me across the face several times and shoved me to the ground when I tried to run from him. Then he dragged me by my hair to the bed and threw me onto it. I hit my head on the headboard hard enough to open a gash on my forehead."

He stood up and leaned against the wall because he couldn't bear to look his wife in the eyes as she recounted what happened next. Damon couldn't believe that Giuseppe had taken it that far.

"He was cursing me the whole time and he started to choke me," Bonnie said. Her hand touched the healing ligature marks on her neck. "He was sloppy drunk and had trouble getting my skirt up with one hand. I screamed but I knew no one would come for me. The staff is terrified of Giuseppe. Sarah walked into the room. She was so scared, Damon. I just wanted to get to Sarah and get out of there but he was so strong. Then it came to me…I told him that I was pregnant and that he would hurt the baby. He just stared at me for what seemed like forever before he finally got off me. He left the room after apologizing. I kept Sarah in the room with me for a few hours. Then I packed our bags and left once I was sure that he was already gone."

Damon's head was swimming as his hatred for Giuseppe grew to new heights. His father had terrorized Bonnie and Sarah in his absence. If it wasn't for Bonnie's quick thinking there was no doubt that Giuseppe would have raped her. He blinked back the tears threatening to fall as he watched his wife cry in silence. He wanted to comfort her but felt that he had no right after leaving her to that fate. "You were smart to lie about being pregnant. Giuseppe is obsessed with his legacy. He would never harm his heir even in a drunken rage."

She sniffled softly. "I wasn't lying."

For a moment, it felt as if the world stopped turning. Damon slowly began to comprehend the soft words his wife had just uttered. He felt himself moving toward Bonnie without conscious thought. He dropped down onto one knee in front of her and stared at her stomach for a few long minutes. The crackle of the roaring fire was the only noise that filled the quiet room. In a rough voice he asked, "You're pregnant?"

Bonnie nodded cautiously. "I found out a couple days before that night. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner but I wanted to see Father Finn first. I wanted to get a blessing for our babies."

He stared at his wife with a dumbfounded expression and then looked down at her stomach again as if it would offer him some answer. Damon swallowed thickly as he cupped Bonnie's face in his hands. "Babies?"

She gave a watery smile and nodded. "I had an ultrasound done. Dr. Huerta gave me a full work up because I realized that I was over a month late. He wanted the ultrasound to pinpoint an accurate timeline. I was ten weeks at the time. He expressed some concerns about my size and I got scared."

Damon wanted to know everything but knew he couldn't interrogate his wife about her health right now. He whispered, "You need to see a doctor. I want to make sure that the three of you are healthy. Zach and Meredith are flying up. You don't need to worry about your privacy being violated."

"Okay."

Damon felt sick to his stomach as he slowly got to is feet. He so wanted to hold Bonnie but he didn't have that right—not now. He slowly sat down in his chair. "I'll call Joshua later so that he can start the paperwork."

Bonnie looked puzzled. She didn't understand why Damon would need to speak with the family's lawyer. "Why are you calling Joshua?"

"I will give you a divorce, Bonnie. I won't contest it or the prenuptial agreement. You deserve every provision that Sheila built into the agreement. I won't ask you to go back home with me. Giuseppe is still in Milazzo but after what happened…"

Her heart swelled as she listened to her normally eloquent husband stumble over his words. Bonnie knew that he cared for her even if Giuseppe's cruel words haunted her. "No."

Damon stared at the girl in front of him in disbelief. For just a moment, he wondered if he misunderstood her. How could she not want a divorce after being brutalized by his father? He was ashamed and he couldn't imagine looking into those verdant eyes every day and reliving his failure. "You want more than the terms in the prenuptial agreement?"

Bonnie slowly stood up and then gingerly placed herself in his lap. A sense of calm rushed over her as she placed her head on his shoulder. Her marriage to Damon was complicated for a number of reasons. Their age difference had always been a stumbling block. In the beginning, he had a hard time seeing Bonnie as a woman because she was only 17 years old when they became engaged. However, Damon always went out of his way to make her feel comfortable. It wasn't the romantic type of love that people saw on television and movies but she had known better than to expect that. Damon had been groomed to be the boss of the family. Bonnie had been groomed to be the boss's wife. "I don't want a divorce."

Damon slid his arms around Bonnie's tiny frame. It still boggled his mind that she was pregnant. His mind raced as he tried to understand why she would want to stay married to him. Beyond his failure to protect her, he was an unrepentant philanderer. He wasn't foolish enough to think Bonnie so naïve that she didn't know that he had a mistress. He tried to be discreet out of respect but she knew. He looked down at her left hand and noticed that she was still wearing her wedding ring. "I don't understand."

"You are my husband, Damon. I love you and Sarah. I have adopted Sarah. She's my daughter now. I would never abandon her the way that my mother abandoned me…the way that Lilly abandoned you. I am not going to abandon you either. You are the not problem in this family…Giuseppe is," she replied.

He stroked Bonnie's wavy chocolate brown hair and tried to ignore the way his heart soared at her commitment to him. He didn't deserve her loyalty but he craved it. No one had ever been loyal to him—not even Stefan. His younger brother appreciated the sacrifices that Damon made for him. However, he shied away from the darkness that developed in Damon because of the abuse. The elder brother had to turn off his emotions to survive Giuseppe's abuse. He lost part of himself because of that. Damon licked his lips. "What are you saying?"

"I'm scared of Giuseppe but not just for myself. I worry about Sarah. I am petrified of what will happen when he doesn't see her as a little girl anymore. He raised boys and abused all of you physically, but you know his appetites."

Damon's mouth went dry as he considered Bonnie's point. "He wouldn't do that. She's his granddaughter."

Bonnie said, "He's my godfather. Giuseppe held me in his arms as a baby, Damon. He was at my christening and my confirmation. When I married you, he told me to call him dad. None of those things stopped him from trying to rape me."

He recoiled at the word that neither of them had spoken until now. Somehow hearing Bonnie say the word made it cut deeper.

"I am not the only one that fears his intentions. Caroline worries for Bella but she is still a child. This summer Jo asked Caroline, Meredith, and me to keep an eye on Josie and Lizzie. They're 14 years old and she never wanted them alone with Giuseppe. She is lucky that they only stay at the Manor during the summer and the holidays. Caroline and I don't have that luxury. We live in the house with this man."

Damon thought back to the summer and realized that Bonnie was telling the truth. There wasn't a time that he saw one of Ric's daughters without one of the wives nearby. He couldn't believe that he and the rest of the men in the family had been so blind to their concerns. He felt worse that they hadn't felt safe to share those concerns. "We'll move out of the house. I'll find a new place for us to live. I will protect you, Sarah, and the babies. I won't let him hurt you again."

Bonnie studied his earnest blue eyes and caressed his chiseled jaw. "If you disobey Giuseppe, he will take the one thing you have always wanted. You have earned your place as head of the family. I won't be the reason he takes it away from you."

"What I have now is enough," he replied. It was a lie and Damon could tell that Bonnie knew as much by the way she tensed in his arms.

Bonnie asked, "What if there was another way?"

"What?" He looked down at his wife curiously.

"What if there was a way to make him retire early? Then you could take your rightful place as head of the family and make him go away," Bonnie answered with a hopeful expression.

Damon shook his head. He hated to shoot down her idea but he couldn't let Bonnie get her hopes up. Giuseppe had a stranglehold on the business. Short of killing him, there wasn't a way to make him leave. However, he didn't know if he could get everyone on board with whacking the boss. "I don't have the leverage to make that happen."

"What if I do?" Bonnie asked.

He stared at his wife. He hoped that she wasn't talking about the attack on her. It was unseemly and reprehensible but not enough to convince Giuseppe to step down. The man rarely felt shame for anything. "What do you have?"

"My grams always knew what type of man Giuseppe was and she feared this day would come. She wanted a way to protect me even if she couldn't be here to do it. You know the rumor about Grams and Giuseppe was true. They had an affair for over forty years. He trusted her more than he trusted anyone else. That was probably a mistake because my grandmother was a viper. I want to show you something."

Bonnie slowly rose from his lap and walked into the closet.

Damon was blown away by her disclosure. He knew that his father had various relationships over the years. However, he always assumed that the one with Sheila ended in their youth and remained business until her death. However, the closeness of their families made so much sense now.

Bonnie returned a few moments later with a tablet and returned to her place on his lap. She pulled up a file and pressed play.

 **Sheila:** _Come to be bed, Gio. You aren't going to figure out anything else tonight._

 **Giuseppe:** _I am tired of him dangling what is rightfully mine over my head! Hasn't he cost me enough? My mother died from his neglect. He forced me to give up the only woman I have ever loved. You lost our child because of him, Sheila. He made me marry Lilly, a simple-minded woman without a single interesting thing to say. Now he wants to send me to Milazzo for the next five years. He's only doing it to keep us apart._

 **Sheila:** _He is set in his ways, Gio. But he's right. Too many would lose respect for you if I ever became more than your mistress. This world is still too intolerant for you to marry a Black woman. And you can't prove that he arranged for the mugging that caused my miscarriage._

 **Giuseppe:** _You see a harmless old man with antiquated views but he is a monster. I don't need proof of his crimes. I need him dead._

 **Sheila:** _Bite your tongue. To kill your father is to condemn yourself to hell._

 **Giuseppe:** _My sweet innocent, Uccellino. Always trying to save my soul. Don't you know I am already condemned? I have more blood on my hands than you can imagine._

 **Sheila:** _You can be forgiven if you repent for the others. But there can be no forgiveness for killing the one that gave you life. Don't do this, Gio. If you kill your father, it will make you as dark hearted as he is. Don't let him stain your soul. Do you not want to reunite with our baby one day?_

 **Giuseppe:** _Will you still love me even if I have already been condemned?_

 **Sheila:** _What have you done, Giuseppe?_

 **Giuseppe:** _I only did what needed to be done. The wheels have already been set in motion. A bomb has been planted on board his plane. It will explode over the Atlantic. I hope that the coast guard never finds his body. May the stronzo burn in hell. Do you still love me, Uccellino?_

Sheila: _Always, Gio. I will always love you. And I will pray for your soul._

 **Giuseppe:** _Do not pray for me. It is Domenico that requires your prayers because he is about to meet his maker._

 **Sheila:** _Then I will pray for you both._

Bonnie stopped the recording and looked at her husband's awestruck face. She stayed as quiet as mouse as she watched him process the information. Everyone had believed that a rival family had killed Domenico and Cecilia. Giuseppe's rash actions kicked off a two-year mob war where the Mikaelson family was his only ally. The war resulted in 72 deaths and dozens of prison sentences. When the war was over, Giuseppe stood victorious. He absorbed his decimated rival's territory and became the biggest crime boss on the West Coast. The war also strengthened his alliance with the Mikaelson family.

Damon's mind was working a mile a minute. This recording changed everything. His sweet wife thought she was giving him the means to force out Giuseppe. However, the girl had just given him the power to kill his father. There were good men…good soldiers still in prison because of the mob war Giuseppe started. He had even murdered poor Cecilia, Zach's mother. His uncles would want Giuseppe's blood for this. Domenico might have been an adulterer but he wasn't abusive. He had been a good father to his young sons. "Who else knows about this?"

"Only you, Damon. Grams gave this recording and more to me before she died. She told me to use it if I ever began to fear for my life. I have the original recording on cassette in my safe," she answered softly.

He kissed her. "We should keep this between the two of us for now, Bunny. I promise I will handle this. You won't need to fear Giuseppe for much longer."

Bonnie said, "Okay. I trust you, Damon. I always have…"

"I need a moment to myself. I think I am going to go take a walk."

She moved to the other chair and nodded. "I understand."

Damon stood and dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. "Don't worry. You did the right thing. Those bags are for your and Sarah. I bought a few things for you."

He walked out of the room and quietly closed the door behind him.

Bonnie looked into the roaring fire as a malevolent smirk transformed her once angelic features. Giuseppe had raised his hand against the wrong woman. Bonnie had wanted him gone for months but just couldn't figure out a way to convince Damon to kill him. She was supposed to be his innocent wife ignorant to the realities of his bloody business. Giuseppe's attack on her was both unfortunate and fortuitous at the same time. She survived knowing that a far worse fate awaited him. Bonnie had no doubt that Giuseppe would beg for something as sweet as death once Damon was done with him.


	3. Who's Pulling Your Strings, Baby?

Bonnie walked over to the cherry wood vanity and had a seat on the tufted leather stool. Giuseppe had commissioned all of the furniture in this room for her grams' 35th birthday. Bonnie couldn't count the number of times that she had watched her grandmother sit in that very spot. As a little girl, she thought that Sheila looked like a regal queen. Her grandmother exuded grace and confidence no matter the situation. No one could work a room quite like Sheila Renee Bennett. However, a rare few really knew the woman that raised Bonnie. Sheila was as vicious and ruthless as Giuseppe could be. The only difference was that she never directed her fury at her family.

Bonnie picked up the sterling silver brush that once belonged to her grandmother and pulled it through her curly chocolate brown hair. The curly locks hung just below her shoulder blades because Sheila had never allowed Bonnie to cut her hair. She considered doing so once her grandmother died but learned that Damon liked her hair long. It was just one example of the many ways she tried to keep her husband's attention—unsuccessfully. She believed that Damon only slept with her out of necessity. While Sarah was a wonderful child, she was a girl. One day Sarah would be married off to one of Elijah Mikaelson's sons to ensure the alliance for years to come. However, Damon still needed a legitimate male heir to succeed him in the future.

After they were married she so wanted him to fall in love with her. She had been in love with Damon for nearly a decade. However, Bonnie did not become disillusioned when that didn't happen. Her grandmother had warned her about men like Damon. He was a broken soul that hadn't known love a day in his life. He filled his hours with drinking, drugs, and reckless sex with inferior women. Sheila warned her granddaughter that the answer wasn't to despair over his behavior or to nag him about it incessantly. She taught Bonnie to exude the traits that would make Damon love her as a wife and mother to his children.

Sheila also believed the key to a healthy marriage was manipulating your husband into doing your bidding. Bonnie had known for some time that Giuseppe had outlived his usefulness. She too had relatives in Milazzo and knew that he was doing very little to ensure a smooth transition for his son. Giuseppe intended to hold onto to the family until Damon pried it from his cold dead hands. Now Bonnie could have told her husband the truth but he might not have believed her. After all, she was but a young woman, barely old enough to drink the wine that bore her family's name. What did she know about the inner workings of organized crime? If Damon had ever taken the chance to get to know Bonnie, he would know that she knew a great deal about it. Her grandmother had helmed one of the largest arms smuggling rings in North America for more than twenty years. She would have to be a moron not to learn something.

Bonnie knew that killing Giuseppe was the only way that Damon could rise to power. He would only undermine his son even if Damon somehow managed to wrest control of the organization from him. Unfortunately, Damon's feelings about Giuseppe were complicated. His father had been an abusive asshole but he stayed. Lilly abandoned him and Giuseppe stayed. Sometimes you craved the love from the hands that beat you black and blue one day and hugged you the next.

She knew that the recorded conversation about Domenico's death wouldn't be enough. However, she could have never imagined that Giuseppe would attack her. He had been like a father to her. It had been brutal and unexpected but she buried her pain deep. Giuseppe had given her a window of opportunity and she intended to use it wisely. She avoided talking to Damon for nearly two weeks because she needed him at peak guilt. This wasn't just about getting rid of Giuseppe but it was also about excising Katherine from their lives. However, she had to make her loving husband believe that it was his idea. Bonnie was certain that her family's matriarchs were smiling at her from the great beyond.

The women in her family tended to behave as puppet masters with their husbands while remaining in the shadows. Her great-great-grandmother Hannah was an extremely fair-skinned Black woman that chose to pass as an olive skinned Italian woman for obvious reasons. She had married an Italian immigrant named Vincenzo that worked at the bustling port in Vancouver. They made a nice enough living smuggling wine Italian wine and Canadian whisky into the United States. However, the couple saw diminished profits because they were simply the suppliers selling the contraband at wholesale prices. Hannah decided to move her family to the United States to handle distribution and cut out the need for an intermediary.

Despite the rampant misogyny of that time, Vincenzo recognized that his wife had a better head for business than he did. He was the face of the smuggling operation since their clients preferred dealing with other men. However, it was Hannah pouring the words into his ear like Cyrano. Soon after the move to the United States, they began watering down their booze to double and at times triple their profits. Hannah used that money to purchase acres of untouched land to build their homestead in Shadow Hills. In a few years time, they had a successful farm that generated legitimate income. However, it was all Hannah's foresight. She knew that Prohibition wouldn't last forever. When Prohibition ended, their farm went from planting vegetables to wine grapes. They became one of the first wineries in the Pacific Northwest.

After Prohibition ended, Hannah and Vincenzo managed the winery and started the cherry and apple orchards as well. However, they were still running a lucrative smuggling operation while raising their children, Emily and Daniel. Prostitution might have been the world's oldest profession but providing illicit contraband had to be a close second. When their son, Daniel, was of age, they sent him to Vincenzo's family in Milazzo. He learned the smuggling business from the point of origin and took it over by the time he was in his 30's. Controlling both ends of the smuggling operation helped them grow the business further. However, their profits and position in the criminal underworld changed forever when Daniel assumed control in Milazzo. He shifted the family's focus to smuggling weapons as the American Italian Mafia began to grow in power. The Salvatore family had been one of their first loyal customers since they both hailed from Milazzo.

A few decades later, Sheila's relationship with Giuseppe had been born out of a need for more power. However, Domenico had stepped on any chance of them marrying because her father had been a dark skinned Black man. She couldn't pass for White the way her mother and grandmother had. Sheila still found a way to make Giuseppe useful. She convinced him to help stamp out the competition to her arms smuggling operation. Sheila was able to expand her operation to the East Coast with his assistance. Unfortunately, dealing with Giuseppe came at a price. He flew into a fit of rage and murdered her husband not long after Abby was born. Sheila didn't particularly love the man but it brought a lot of unwanted attention to her doorstep. However, in true Giuseppe fashion he made it go away by pinning the crime on one of his rivals. The pair never married but they might as well have been. Sheila and Abby spent their summers and holidays with Giuseppe and his family. It was a practice that continued throughout Bonnie's childhood as well. The two pretended as if they were just old friends and business associates. However, Bonnie had known the truth for many years.

Bonnie knew many truths and they were going to ensure that she got everything she wanted out of life. Her ambitions weren't just romantic in nature. Bonnie desired her husband but she wanted more. She wanted her husband as the head of the Salvatore organization because one day she intended to take over their company. She wanted him to remember who made it all possible for him. Merging Velocita with Bennett Technologies had been the smartest thing Sheila ever did for her granddaughter. However, it was up to Bonnie to make sure that she became CEO in the future. She was slowly getting all of her ducks in a row to that affect but first Giuseppe had to go. She finished brushing her hair and smiled at her reflection. She didn't see the bruises marring her beautiful face. All she saw was Giuseppe's undoing.

She unlocked one of the vanity's many drawers and opened a jewelry box. She opened a hidden compartment and retrieved a cheap mobile phone. Bonnie turned on the phone and then typed out a quick message.

 **Bonnie:** _He's here. Tell the boys that the wheels are in motion._

She returned the phone to its hiding place and locked the drawer once more. Bonnie looked across the room when she heard Sarah began to stir. She was supposed to wake up the girl an hour ago. Bonnie liked to keep Sarah on a firm schedule since so much of their life was unpredictable. However, Damon's sudden arrival that afternoon threw off everything. She had assumed that her husband wouldn't even notice her absence for another two days. Bonnie could only assume that Rose was responsible for the early ending of his business trip—at least that was the lie he told her. Bonnie slowly rose from the chair and went to sit on the bed. She lightly brushed Sarah's raven curls away from her face. "It's time to wake up, bambolina."

Sarah's bright blue eyes fluttered open at the sound of her mother's voice. The little girl bore an uncanny resemblance to her father despite her darker skin tone. She yawned and stretched as she sat up in the bed. "I'm hungry, Mama."

She couldn't help but laugh softly at the first words to fall from her daughter's mouth. Sarah had an appetite that could put children twice her age to shame. Bonnie didn't know where she put all of the food. Sarah was thin as a rail. "I'll make a snack for you in a moment. First, I have a surprise for you."

The girl perked up at the mention of a surprise. Bonnie had already bought a truckload of toys for her when they first arrived in Shadow Hills. She asked, "What is it?"

"You'll just have to come see," she replied with a mirthful expression. She stood up and extended her hand to Sarah. "Come on."

Sarah hopped down from the tall bed and grasped her mother's hand. Her eyes went wide when she saw the gift bags sitting near the fireplace. She released Bonnie's hand and raced across the room to inspect her gifts.

Bonnie sat down in the chair and watched as Sarah opened a box containing an American Girl's doll. "Isn't she pretty? Her name is Josefina."

The girl nodded in excitement and squeezed her new doll. "Thank you, Mama."

"Well, I didn't buy these for you. Someone else did. Do you want to guess who did?"

"Santa?" she asked in a hopeful voice. She opened another box and found a remote controlled car.

She smiled because Sarah had been talking about Santa Claus for the last three months. She was finally at an age where she understood all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the holiday. "Not yet, bambolina. We have a little over a month before Santa Claus comes to visit us."

"Oh," Sarah said with a frown.

Bonnie chuckled softly and said, "These gifts are from Papa. Guess what? He's downstairs right now."

The girl's face lit up at the mention of her father. Sarah was on her feet and out the room in seconds. She had her new doll tucked beneath her arm as she ran. "Papa!"

Damon walked into the foyer when he heard Sarah calling out to him. He stood at the bottom of the staircase and caught her in a bear hug. Few things brought true joy into his life. However, his daughter had become his heartbeat from the moment he held her for the first time.

She grinned up at her father. "Hi, Papa!"

"Hi, bambolina. Do you like your new doll?"

She nodded in excitement. "I love her." She buried her face against his chest and said, "I missed you, Papa."

"I missed you, too," he swore in a thick voice. He tried to ignore the wave of guilt that made his throat tighten. He couldn't believe that he had left his wife and daughter in the path of his unhinged father. For the last hour, he had been replaying Bonnie's words in his head. His daughter…their daughter had witnessed a side of life that he never wanted her to know. He did everything in his power to shield her from the violence and danger that he grew up knowing. He didn't even allow Sarah to attend school. Giuseppe hired tutors to instruct his grandchildren at the Salvatore Manor. He and Bonnie had been raised similarly.

Bonnie walked down the stairs and came to stand beside her husband. She rubbed Sarah's back and asked, "What do you want to eat?"

"Tots," she replied after a moment of thought.

"Tater tots sound yummy. I will go put some in the oven for us while you spend time with Papa," Bonnie said. "Are you hungry, Damon?"

Damon shook his head and said, "No, I'm not hungry. You should be resting, Bonnie. I can put the tater tots in the oven."

She shook her head. Then she gave a pointed look to the way Sarah was clinging to him. "It doesn't take much effort to spread some frozen tater tots on a baking sheet. Besides, I have cooked every day since we have been here. I haven't fainted yet."

The raven-haired playboy frowned in disapproval. However, he knew that Bonnie had a point. There was no need for him to swoop in to play the hero now. She had survived nearly two weeks with her injuries without his assistance. He nodded. "We'll just be in the living room."

Bonnie was surprised to find Rose sitting in the kitchen. She should have realized that the woman would accompany Damon. Rose was his best friend. Bonnie didn't even mind that they were exes. The pair behaved more like brother and sister with the way they bickered. She had come to like Rose in the last few years. She said, "I didn't know that you were with Damon."

The older woman held back a gasp when she saw Bonnie's face. Damon's description didn't do it justice. She said, "I couldn't let him come alone. He was so worried about you, Bonnie. I was worried, too."

"He is lucky to have you, Rose. We both are." She turned on the oven so that it would begin to preheat.

"I know this seems paltry but if there is anything that I can do…"

Bonnie smiled as she washed her hands at the kitchen sink. "Your concern isn't paltry, Rose. I know that your offer is genuine. Besides, you chose such lovely gifts for me. I liked the tickets to _Peter Pan_ the most. I have been looking forward to taking Sarah to the ballet for some time. She's been interested in ballet since she saw a video of me dancing in _Swan Lake_."

Giuseppe and Damon had both agreed that Bonnie needed to stop dancing after they we were married. Rose always thought it was a tragedy. The girl was a talented classically trained dancer just like her mother was. Rose had attended Bonnie's last show with Damon right before Sheila succumbed to the cancer. She replied, "The gifts are from Damon."

She laughed quietly while putting the baking sheet into the oven. "We both know Damon hasn't bought a gift for anyone in years. Even if he did, I doubt he would do more than buy insanely expensive jewelry that I could afford to buy myself. Thank you for being so thoughtful with your choices, Rose."

Rose shook her head with a small smile. "Well, I did buy a few insanely expensive pieces of jewelry. I like to cover all my bases."

"Yes, I did enjoy the sapphire and diamond tennis bracelet. I might get some use out of that. It will go perfectly with the earrings and necklace you bought for me last Christmas. I can't wait to see what you buy for me this year." It was hard to ignore the tinge of bitterness in her voice. Sometimes it stung that Damon didn't even try.

"He does love you, Bonnie. Damon is just…complicated," Rose explained.

Bonnie smiled sadly. "I've known Damon my whole life. Trust me, I know all about his complications."

Bonnie knew more about Damon's worst impulses than Rose ever would. She had seen him at his worse over the years but loved him anyway. Bonnie could remember when his cocaine addiction wasn't merely recreational. She had seen his violent impulses play out against unlucky foes. He tried to change for Sarah and Bonnie and she was grateful for those changes. However, it seemed that suppressing his baser instincts pushed Damon further into Katherine's arms.

Rose didn't doubt that for a moment. She always thought there was something mildly incestuous about Damon marrying the girl. The Salvatore and Bennett families were inextricably linked. Over the years, she had seen tons of pictures of Bonnie and the Salvatore brothers as children. Perhaps her favorite picture was of four-year-old Bonnie sitting on Damon's lap as he tried to teach her to play the piano. In the picture, Stefan was sitting beside them with an adoring smile on his face. It had to be a shock to Damon's system to go from being her older brother to her husband. However, the cognitive dissonance of the situation didn't excuse his treatment of Bonnie.

She pleaded, "Just don't give up on him, Bonnie. No matter what you think, you make him better."

Bonnie shook her head. "You don't need to worry about that. Damon is my family, Rose. I can't imagine a scenario where I would ever leave him. I'm not even sure who I am without him."

Rose thanked the stars that Bonnie was too inexperienced to know that she could do much better than Damon 'I Can't Keep My Cock In My Pants' Salvatore. Sometimes the moral quandaries of the job made her a little queasy. It was difficult to look at this girl's battered face while simultaneously encouraging her to stay married to the man that let it happen. Perhaps his only redeeming feature was that Rose knew that Damon would never raise a hand to a woman.

The caramel skinned girl prepared to make a fruit salad to go with their snack. However, she stopped in mid-chop when Damon walked into the kitchen with Sarah in his arms.

He placed Sarah in the chair beside Rose and moved closer to Bonnie. He touched her arm and said, "I need to talk to you…in private, bunny."

Bonnie kept her look neutral but she could tell that he wanted something from her. He so rarely called her bunny these days. She figured that it could only be a couple of things. She nodded and looked to Rose. "Could you finish cutting up the fruit and keep an eye on the tater tots?"

Rose eyed her friend/employer but nodded. "Sure. Sarah can keep me company while I finish up in here."

Bonnie dried off her hands and said, "Thank you."

Damon rested a hand on the small of Bonnie's back and ushered her out of the kitchen. He moved them into Sheila's old office where there wasn't a chance of anyone overhearing their conversation.

The girl bit back a smug smile as she sat down on the couch. She now knew exactly where his thoughts had landed. Honestly, she was surprised it wasn't the first question from his mouth. Bonnie wondered if she should feel honored that his concern for her outweighed his concern for the business. Or perhaps she should be offended that he so quickly reverted to covering his own ass. "Is there something wrong?"

Damon took both of Bonnie's hands and kissed both of them. "You said that I am the only person that has heard the recording of Sheila and Giuseppe's conversation."

She nodded. "Yes. Do you think that I am lying to you?"

"No, bunny. I know that you wouldn't lie to me," he swore. "I only wondered if you have told anyone else about what Giuseppe did to you."

Bonnie's mind raced quickly to discern the best way to handle this. "I told Lucy the truth when I talked to her this morning. She was worried after Rose called her. You know how Lucy can be. She's like a dog with a bone sometimes."

Damon tensed at the mention of Bonnie's older cousin. He and Lucy were only a few years apart in age. They had known each other since childhood and she was a loose cannon. Moreover, she spent more time in Milazzo with the Sicilian side of the family than Bonnie did. "Do you think that she will tell anyone?"

Of course, Damon was worried that Lucy would spill the beans to Uncle Johnny or as everyone else called him, Big John Benedetto. He was Sheila's first cousin and the head of the Benedetto family in Milazzo. He would flay Giuseppe alive if he knew what the man did to Bonnie. Moreover, he would likely push her to divorce Damon for his neglect. Big John had fought with Sheila for weeks after he learned of Bonnie and Damon's engagement. He thought it would be better to marry the girl off to her third cousin, Cristian.

She shook her head. Bonnie didn't want outside meddling anymore than he did. Her family getting involved would derail her plans. "No, I asked Lucy not to say anything. I don't want other people to know. It's bad enough having you and Rose see me this way. I would have tried to cover up the worst of the damage if I knew that you were coming."

Damon relaxed considerable after Bonnie's reply. He cupped her bruised cheek. "You don't need to hide from me, Bon."

She averted her gaze because looking into Damon's eyes was dangerous. Bonnie's heart was a traitor to her plans because it began to beat faster from a mere touch of his hand. Too often lately, her heart was at odds with her mind. Her mind warned her to protect her heart from Damon because he would only hurt her. However, after four years she just wasn't willing to give up on him yet. This was her last best chance. There would never be a better opportunity to get everything she wanted.


	4. Do We Have An Accord?

Zach and Meredith didn't come to Shadow Hills alone. Alaric and Jo accompanied the couple. Bonnie wasn't surprised when Damon and his uncles began to circle the wagons. Giuseppe's actions had put the nearly 70-year relationship between their families in jeopardy. Her family would only be satisfied with blood as retribution for the attack. She knew from experience that the debt need not be settled solely with the guilty party. The life of anyone in the organization could be forfeit if the Benedetto Family didn't feel satisfied. Damon wanted to keep everything quiet until he had a handle on the situation.

The item at the top of the agenda had been to get medical attention for Bonnie. Jo and Meredith were concerned about the variety of visible injuries. However, they were even more concerned about the state of the girl's pregnancy. Bonnie hadn't reported any symptoms that would suggest a miscarriage but nothing could be ruled out in the face of such a violent attack. Jo had gone as far as to harangue Dr. Huerta for Bonnie's medical records before their arrival. The doctor had refused to violate doctor-patient confidentiality until Bonnie gave permission over the phone. She trusted her aunts-in-law with the information. Jo and Meredith had always been good to her.

The two Salvatore women commandeered the local doctor's office and gave Bonnie a full work up. Jo tried to keep Damon out of the room because she wanted to have a frank conversation with the young woman. However, he insisted on being with there for the examination. Fortunately, the attack hadn't harmed the babies. She was just entering her second trimester and everything was progressing normally. Moreover, all of Bonnie's injuries were on the mend. She was fitted with a sling to immobilize her arm and elbow. Meredith diagnosed a serious elbow sprain that would take a week or more to heal. The good news was that Bonnie didn't have any torn ligaments so surgery wasn't necessary.

When they returned to the mansion, everyone sat down to eat dinner as a family. The adults were mostly quiet. The topics on their minds weren't appropriate for the dinner table or mixed company. However, Sarah's cheerful chattering helped breathe life into the room. No one could resist her contagious happiness. Sarah insisted on detailing all the fun she had since arriving in Shadow Hills. She told them all about her shopping spree with Bonnie at the local toy store. The little girl proved just how resilient children could be in the face of adversity. Bonnie was thrilled that the fear stemming for what she witnessed was starting to ebb away.

After dinner, Bonnie and Sarah baked cookies with Jo's assistance. While the cookies cooled, Sarah went outside with Ric to play with the remote control car that Damon had given her.

Jo stayed behind to help Bonnie clean up the kitchen. "I've been hoping to talk to you alone, Bonnie."

Bonnie stopped loading the dishwasher and looked at the older woman. "What's on your mind?"

Jo dried her hands and said, "Let's sit down for this."

Bonnie closed the dishwasher and said, "I feel as if I am being called into the principal's office. What's wrong?"

Jo sat down at the island with Bonnie and said, "I am not going to beat around the bush about this, Bonnie. I am concerned about your weight."

"We talked about that earlier at the doctor's office. Dr. Huerta was concerned, but I am taking the prenatal vitamins every day. I also started eating healthy snacks between meals as he recommended," she replied.

"I am more concerned about why you were so underweight in the beginning. I looked at your medical records and you have been underweight for well over a year. I didn't bring this up in front of Damon because I didn't want to embarrass you," Jo explained.

Bonnie tensed and said, "I've always been petite…you know that."

Jo nodded. "You have always had the lean build of a dancer. However, there is a difference between being lean and being unhealthy. Meredith mentioned that you have a fairly intense daily exercise regimen."

The younger woman was beginning to get defensive. "Just because I don't dance anymore doesn't mean I intend to let myself go."

"You know very well that isn't what I meant. I think that you have been exercising too much and eating too little in order to lose weight. I don't want to make assumptions but please tell me this isn't in some bid to please Damon."

Bonnie felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. She stood up. "I am not having this conversation with you. I am eating properly now."

"I am not trying to offend you or hurt your feelings, Bonnie. I am worried about you. What you were doing prior to finding out that you are pregnant was unhealthy. You're a smart girl and you are beautiful. Damon isn't going to be any more interested in you if you wear a smaller size."

She huffed in annoyance. "You don't know anything about my marriage to Damon. You have no right making assumptions about him or me."

Jo held up a placating hand. "Listen, I have been where you are. Ric loves me but he has a wandering eye. When I was younger, I thought that his infidelity was because of me. I thought that I was doing something wrong. For God's sake, I got breast implants to entice him. It didn't work and they gave me back problems. I'm older now and I know that it's just his personality. The Salvatore men are incapable of fidelity. I care for you and I don't want to see you make the same mistakes that I did."

Bonnie knew that Jo wasn't trying to embarrass her. This conversation was coming from a place of genuine concern. "Why are you still with him?"

Jo stood up and smiled sadly. "I stay with Ric because I love him. I had to learn to accept him as he was. Expecting more would only set me up for failure and heartbreak. The best thing I ever did was get those stupid implants removed. He can take me as I am or he can leave. In 17 years, he hasn't gone anywhere and he never will. Just consider it a little food for thought, Bonnie."

She watched the older woman walk out of the room and considered her warning. Bonnie knew more about her husband's extramarital activities than she let on. While Katherine was Damon's main mistress, he frequently had dalliances with other women. He was currently seeing a local news anchor in his free time but Katherine was the only long-term relationship. Bonnie didn't know if she could live with Damon cheating on her for the rest of their married lives. It hurt her too much. However, Jo was right about not altering herself for Damon's benefit. Everything she had done to capture his attention had fallen flat. He hadn't even noticed the weight loss. He was no more and no less interested in her than he had always been. It was just as well since she was pregnant now. She planned to do everything in her power to reach the weight goals set by Dr. Huerta.

Ric walked into the kitchen carrying Sarah on his shoulders. His grin faded when he saw the tight expression on Bonnie's face. "Is everything okay?"

Bonnie nodded and said, "Uh, everything is fine. The two of you are just in time to have some cookies. They are finally cool enough to eat."

Ric didn't believe Bonnie but he could understand why she wouldn't want to confide in him.

Sarah cheered. "Cookies! I want to share some with Papa."

She smiled at her daughter and walked over to the counter. She grabbed a freezer bag and loaded it with a generous number of cookies. She figured that Ric would indulge in the chocolaty treats as well. Bonnie handed the bag over to Sarah and kissed her cheek. "I bet he'll love that, bambolina."

"Thank you, Mama." She petted the top of Ric's head. "Let's go find Papa."

Ric chuckled and carried Sarah down the hall to the office. Damon had disappeared into the room shortly after they finished eating dinner. Ric walked into the office with Sarah still on his shoulders. The girl adored her great-uncle and it showed. "Someone has been looking everywhere for you, Damon."

Sarah was holding the bag of cookies while grasping a handful of Ric's hair to keep her balance. "I didn't know where you went," she added with an adorable pout.

Damon offered his daughter a guilty smile because he hadn't spent very much time with her. He had spent most of the afternoon trying to get a handle on the current situation. More importantly, he had to pinpoint his father's location. Not knowing Giuseppe's current position was dangerous. He stood up and met them in the middle of the room. Damon took his daughter from Ric's shoulders and hugged her. "Is that right? Have you been looking for me?"

She nodded her head and handed him the freezer bag with double chocolate pecan cookies in it. "Me and Mama baked cookies for you."

Damon took the bag and chuckled. "Are these just for me?"

Sarah looked up at him with big blue eyes. "And for me, too."

He was surprised that Bonnie was letting Sarah have cookies so late. Normally, Damon was the parent that let their little princess get away with murder. Bonnie was the one that set and enforced the rules. However, everything was out of whack because she was usually in bed at this time. "Well, cookies are no good without dipping them into a cold glass of milk. What do you say we go get some milk from the kitchen?"

Her face lit up as she nodded excitedly. "Can we have choco milk?"

Damon smiled. "You can have whatever you want."

Ric shook his head with a smirk. He liked seeing his nephew interact with his daughter. Damon rarely looked happier than he did with Sarah in his arms. However, his smile faltered when smelled the bourbon coming off him. Now he knew why Damon had locked himself in the office.

Sarah looked over her shoulder at Ric. "Are you coming with us, Zio?"

He said, "As long as you don't tell Aunt Jo that I had cookies. She has me on a diet."

Sarah looked very solemn as she nodded. She promised, "I won't tell."

Damon chuckled as they walked into the empty kitchen. "Well, Sarah might not tell but I will."

Ric grabbed a carton of milk and the chocolate syrup from the refrigerator.

The five year old pointed at her father. "Being a tattle tale isn't nice, Papa."

Ric grinned and said, "Yeah, Damon, being a tattle tale isn't nice."

Damon rolled his eyes at Ric as he sat down at the island with Sarah. He said, "It isn't tattling if it is to protect someone. Auntie Jo wants Zio to be healthy so that he lives a long time."

Sarah's eyes went big. She held the bag of cookies against her chest protectively. "I'm sorry, Zio. You can't have any cookies. I want you to live forever! You can have milk. Mama says it is good for you."

Ric had to hold back a laugh at her sincerity. He made the three of them glasses of chocolate milk. He sat beside his great-niece at the island. "You're right. Milk is very good for you."

Damon opened the freezer bag and took out some of the cookies. He placed two in front of Sarah.

She beamed up at him as she took a huge bite. "Thank you, Papa."

Damon broke one of his cookies in half and dunked it into his glass of chocolate milk.

Sarah watched him and tried to mimic the actions. She stuck half her hand into the glass but pulled the soggy cookie out with a huge smile on her face. Sarah stuffed the cookie into her mouth with a happy little grin.

Ric asked, "Have you had fun here with Mama, Principessa?"

She nodded while dunking the other half of her cookie into the chocolate milk. "We went shopping. Mama let me pick out all the toys I wanted. I even got a new bike. It's so pretty, Zio."

"Wow. Have you ridden your new bike?" Damon asked.

Sarah stopped nibbling on her cookie and shook her head. "I don't know how and Mama was sick so she couldn't teach me."

Ric winced when he heard the way her voice went quiet at the last part. "Mama was sick?"

Damon gave Ric a warning look. He didn't want to pressure Sarah about what happened at home. His daughter had been through enough.

Sarah nodded. She fidgeted with a cookie and refused to look at her father or uncle. "Can we stay here, Papa? I don't want to go home."

He had the urge to throw his glass against the wall but managed to restrain his temper. Damon picked up Sarah and sat her on his knee. "We can stay here for as long as you want to, bambolina."

"Good. I like it here," she replied. She picked up another cookie and dunked it into the glass.

Damon frowned because that was the first crack he'd seen in his daughter's cheerful attitude. As a child, he used to pretend that everything was okay, too. He knew that no one was coming to save him. He didn't want Sarah to grow up that way. He didn't want her to turn out the way that he did. Most people would think that he had everything together in his life. However, all he wanted do right now was crawl into the bottom of the nearest bottle. The one thing he had going for him was his ability to be a functioning alcoholic.

Damon's alcoholism was a secret to no one, least of all him. He couldn't pinpoint the moment when he began to need a drink when he woke up each morning. However, he could clearly remember the moment when he learned that he couldn't go a day without a drink. He was all of 20 years old at the time full of swagger and cockiness. One night he decided to drag race in a car right off of Velocita's assembly line. He won the race but ended up wrapping the car around a tree. He wouldn't have survived if Zach hadn't been there to pull his broken body from the burning wreckage.

Damon had to spend three weeks in the hospital because his injuries were so severe. Damon started going through withdrawals after his third day in the hospital. It got so bad that Ric had to smuggle in a flask filled with bourbon. As he fought off the beginnings of the DTs he had to accept that he had become an alcoholic. It had surpassed the point of merely a drinking problem or a youthful indiscretion. However, in hindsight no one should have been surprised by the revelation.

He started drinking at the ripe old age of thirteen. Giuseppe never bothered to put his liquor under lock and key. The man barely even batted an eyelash a year later when he saw his son drinking a glass of his scotch at the dinner table. Then again, Ric and Zach had started drinking as teenagers, too. Perhaps the only difference was that Damon's uncles had better impulse control than he did. However, he was certain that any trained professional would diagnosis the three of them as being dependent on alcohol. Drinking excessively was just the way that they learned how to cope with their lives. It wasn't just Giuseppe's abuse that drove them to drink. The man also insisted that they all know the taste of blood when they were little more than children. Damon's first kill came when he was 15 years old.

Giuseppe had suspected that there was a snitch in his organization for weeks. One of their shipments had nearly been intercepted by the ATF. They might have been caught red-handed if it wasn't for the payoffs that Giuseppe liberally spread around the local police department. They tipped him off ahead of time and he was able to switch the meeting place. However, after that narrow escape with the feds he began investigating his four capos. They were the only ones that knew the details of the shipment outside of his Uncles Bruno and Jackie.

Giuseppe ended up landing on Francisco De Santis or as Damon used to call him at the time, Uncle Frankie. The man had been like a father to him. He taught Damon how to clean his gun and to fire it. He used to take the boys hunting a couple times a year. Giuseppe forced Damon to torture the man until he confessed to being an informant. Francisco had been busted with a trunk full of semi automatic weapons that he had been skimming from the organization and selling for his own profit. The ATF dropped the case in exchange for his information and later testimony. When Giuseppe was satisfied, he made Damon slit Francisco's throat. He hadn't been able to sleep without nightmares for weeks after that happened. Damon knew that he had never stood a chance of being a decent human being after that.

Damon looked down when he realized that Sarah was talking to him again.

"I promise I'll take care of it," she said.

He blinked in confusion. "You'll take care of what?"

She sighed dramatically. "Weren't you listening to me, Papa?"

Ric stifled a laugh and shook his head as he swiped a cookie since Sarah wasn't looking his way.

Damon couldn't understand how his daughter could look so much like Stefan sometimes. However, she had definitely inherited that brooding forehead from him. "I'm sorry. I am listening to you now."

"I want a puppy, Papa."

He winced and asked, "A puppy? Wouldn't you like a fish instead, bambolina?"

"No, I want a puppy," she argued.

"But a puppy will probably use your pretty new doll as a chew toy," he countered.

Sarah said, "I have lots of dolls. I do not have lots of friends. My puppy would be my bestest friend ever."

Damon mentally cursed because he had officially lost this battle. He wasn't about tell his 5 year old daughter that she couldn't have a friend. It was bad enough that she was homeschooled with only her cousins as playmates. Occasionally, she had the opportunity to play with Elijah and Hayley's children. He said, "I guess you can have a puppy but you will have to share him with your cousins. You can all take care of him together."

Sarah didn't look so sure about that. Stefan's three children and Zach's four children lived at the manor. That was a lot of people to share one puppy. "Can we have two puppies?" she asked.

Ric couldn't help it that time. He cracked up laughing. "I think two puppies sounds like a great idea."

Damon glared at his uncle over Sarah's head.

"Two puppies!" she screeched happily.

Stefan walked into the kitchen with a forced smile on his face. The smile was strictly for Sarah's benefit. He said, "Hey, big brother."

Sarah's face lit up. She squealed and raised her arms toward him. "Zio!"

He crossed the kitchen and picked her up. Stefan squeezed her and then peppered her face with kisses. "There's my favorite niece!"

She hugged his neck and then asked, "Are Nico and Bella with you?"

Stefan chuckled and set her down on the ground. "Yes, they are in the living room with Tony. They can't wait to see you."

Sarah looked up at Damon with big eyes.

He laughed and handed over the bag of cookies. "Go on! Go share the cookies with your cousins."

The three men watched as the five year old bounded out of the kitchen.

Sarah yelled, "Bella! Nico! Tony! I got cookies!"

The twins cheered in response.

Damon said, "You didn't have to come, Stefan."

The younger man raked a hand through his chestnut brown hair. "I think we both know that I did. Damon, I never for …"

"You don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. I know you wouldn't have left Bonnie alone with him on purpose." Damon would have loved to blame his brother. They were adversarial most of the time and a scapegoat would be nice. However, this fell squarely on his shoulders. He was the one that left his wife alone for two weeks.

Zach walked into the kitchen. "Should we do this, gents?"

Ric stood up and nodded. He was interested in what Damon had to tell them. They all knew what happened between Bonnie and Giuseppe back at the manor. Damon recounted the tale for Ric and Zach when they arrived earlier in the evening. Ric had filled Stefan in via phone.

The four Salvatore men walked to Sheila Bennett's old office. Damon always set up shop there when he brought Bonnie and Sarah to Shadow Hills. The room was soundproof, spacious, and had a well stocked bar.

Damon walked behind the desk and sat down.

Ric locked the door and nodded for Damon to get started.

"You all know that Giuseppe beat my wife to a pulp and tried to rape her. My daughter bore witness to at least part of that. He could have caused Bonnie to miscarry our twins. Now Sarah is scared to go home. I know that he is our father and your brother…."

Zach added, "He's also the boss. Taking him out is a move that we can't come back from. If any of the capos find out what we did…it'll be a civil war. It will tear the organization apart."

"You're right he is the boss but this can't be allowed to stand. Giuseppe needs to die before he hurts anyone else. What he did to all of us was terrible but it was in the past. We are grown men now and we survived. Now we are always playing interference and trying to contain this psychopath. We keep him supplied in willing prostitutes and mistresses so that he isn't out here forcing himself on innocent women. We hire the oldest possible maids at the Manor hoping that they won't catch his attention. Our wives don't even feel safe around him because they know he might turn on them without notice."

No one responded to Damon because they all knew that it was true. Giuseppe had become more violent and unhinged in the last five years.

He continued. "We can't continue to pretend that we can handle him. Even our wives know that is bullshit. Bonnie looked me in the eye today and said she is scared that one day Giuseppe will turn his attention to Sarah. I told her that was ridiculous because Sarah is his granddaughter but Bonnie reminded me that Giuseppe is her godfather. Then she told me that Jo and Caroline have the same fears for Josie, Lizzie, and Bella. Apparently, this summer Jo asked Caroline, Meredith, and Bonnie to make sure Josie and Lizzie were never alone."

An uncomfortable silence filled the office as they all tried to make sense of this situation. The wheels turning in their heads were practically audible. Damon could almost see them connecting the dots the way he had that afternoon.

Ric's jaw tightened because Jo had never mentioned her concerns to him. He couldn't believe that his wife didn't trust him enough to protect their daughters.

Zach was suddenly incredibly grateful to have four sons. His only concern was Giuseppe trying to push them into the family business before they were ready. Lucian was only 12 years old and Giuseppe wanted him to start training already.

Stefan blanched as he thought about his own little girl. Bella was only five years old. She adored Giuseppe and he had never been anything but loving towards her. However, he thought about Giuseppe's relationship with Bonnie. He doted on the girl when she was a child. Stefan had been envious of that attention at one point.

Ric said, "I've wanted to kill the asshole for years. I can make it look like an accident."

Damon asked, "How much do you know about Sheila and Giuseppe?"

The older man sat down in front of the desk. "They were together off and on since they were teenagers. She was probably the only person he was ever capable of loving. She definitely never put up with his shit."

"I guess part of Sheila not putting up with his shit meant having an insurance policy. She recorded some of her conversations with him over the years. She gave everything to Bonnie after we got married. Sheila told Bonnie to only use the recordings if she felt her life was in danger."

Ric snorted. "That sounds like Sheila."

Damon removed a tablet from the top drawer and pulled up the audio file from earlier. "Zach, I'm warning you that this might be hard to hear."

Zach raised an eyebrow at the warning but motioned for Damon to get on with it.

He pushed play and then relaxed in the chair as he watched his uncles and brother learn the truth about the man that raised them.

Zach was out of his seat as soon as the audio ended. Even if he could accept that killing their father was a business decision, he would never forgive Giuseppe for murdering his mother. He could barely remember Cecilia because she was taken from him so early in life. Zach bellowed as he slammed his fist into the wall as hard as he could.

Stefan jumped but remained silent. He couldn't imagine what Zach was feeling. Giuseppe had taken his mother from him too, but it was in a less permanent way. Lilly was still a shell of a human being even after nearly 20 years away from him. His mother still saw a therapist because she suffered from PTSD. He asked, "What do we do? We can't keep going on like this."

Damon said, "I say that we take a page out of the old man's book. You are right about killing him causing trouble because he is the boss. But maybe his bad heart just gives out…"

Zach scoffed. "That's too good for him."

Damon grinned. "Just because that is what his death certificate will say, doesn't mean that is how he will die. I have something much slower and more painful in mind for Giuseppe."

Ric said, "But first we need to get our house in order. Once Gio is dead, there can be no doubts about who will take his place. You know John Gilbert has delusions of grandeur."

John had been Giuseppe's consigliere for the last eight years. Damon despised the man because he was a kiss ass and a weasel. However, John could pose a problem if he made a play for the top spot in the organization. Damon said, "Send Mason to feel John out…discreetly. Figure out where his head is."

Ric nodded. "I'll get Mason on the phone tonight."


	5. I Could Fall In Love With You

Bonnie had been quietly reading from the book _The House on Pooh Corner_ for about a half hour. She loved the book almost as much as Sarah did. However, she looked down and realized that the little girl had fallen asleep at some point. She smiled as she closed the book and placed it on the nightstand. Despite, Damon's presence in the house, Bonnie was still letting Sarah sleep in the master bedroom. If Damon objected, he could find somewhere else to sleep. She wouldn't force their daughter to sleep alone again until she was ready. She tucked Sarah in more securely and then climbed out of the bed.

She quietly walked to the vanity and retrieved the phone from her jewelry box. Then she entered the bathroom so that her call wouldn't disturb Sarah's rest. Bonnie locked the door and then had a seat on the marble counter top. She needed to get this call out of the way before Damon decided it was time to turn in for the night. He had been locked in the office for several hours now. She could only hope that he was working on a way to kill his degenerate father. One way or another Giuseppe had better be in a coffin the next time she laid eyes on him. She dialed a number that she knew by heart and waited for an answer despite the late hour.

The person picked up after the first ring. _"I've been waiting for you to call me for the last hour. I was beginning to get worried, Bon."_

Bonnie's lips curved into a tiny smile at his concern. Her fingers fiddled with the Saint Christopher's medal that hung around her neck. "I'm fine, Ty. What exactly did you expect to happen?"

 _In exasperation, he said, "Excuse me for being worried about you unprotected in the lion's den. I heard that Alaric, Zach, and Stefan flew out there."_

Her spine straightened at that. "What danger did you expect me to face in my own home? This isn't the Salvatore Manor."

 _He scoffed, "You give your coward of a husband too much credit. You always have. A real man would have never allowed something like this to happen to any woman...let alone his wife. Excuse me if I don't have as much confidence in him as you do."_

Bonnie would have chastised anyone other than Tyler for speaking about Damon in such a way. She didn't even let her family get away with questioning his character. However, Tyler was a different case. He was her best friend and confidante. The pair had few secrets from each other, which meant he knew all about Damon's indiscretions and shortcomings. She already knew that defending Damon would fall on deaf ears with him. "Well, put your mind to rest because I am fine. I was just making sure that Sarah got to sleep okay before I called."

 _"How is she doing? Any more nightmares?" he asked with genuine concern._

"Sarah is doing better. She hasn't had any nightmares since last week. I think that the worst of it might be over…at least I hope that is the case," she confessed.

 _"She'll get through this because of you, Bon."_

Bonnie nodded but the guilt hung on her heavily. She was just as responsible as Damon was for allowing Sarah to live in the same house with that man. She could have made demands of her husband months or even a year ago once the adoption was final. "Tell me that you have some good news. I could really use some right now."

 _Tyler said, "Yeah. Alaric reached out to Uncle Mason tonight. He wants him to figure out where John's head is when it comes to who should succeed Giuseppe. He's going to meet with John tomorrow over drinks."_

She rolled her eyes at the mention of John Gilbert. He had his uses but he was a snake. "You have spent enough time with him. Where do you think his head is on the matter?"

Tyler had been dating John's niece off and on for the last couple of years. He spent time with the man inside and outside of the business. However, it just meant he was more inclined to hate John.

 _"He's arrogant and presumptuous but I think even he knows that his life would be forfeit if he tried taking Giuseppe's place after his death. By the way, the word is Damon has people searching for the old man in Milazzo. He isn't staying at the Salvatore compound."_

Bonnie smiled. She had been confident that Damon would kill his father. However, she was grateful that he was moving about things swiftly. She didn't want Giuseppe's death to become a lengthy maneuver. "Hopefully, he will have lowered his guard in the last few weeks. The last thing we want is for Giuseppe to see the hit coming. You know he wouldn't hesitate to kill Damon in retaliation."

 _Tyler sighed and said, "I should have killed him that night when you came to my house. When I saw your face…"_

Bonnie had gone to Tyler first because there was no one else. She didn't have any family in the city. "I know that you wanted to protect me but there wasn't a plan, Ty. We would have had hell on our hands while we figured out what to do with the dead body of the West Coast's biggest crime boss. Either you would have gone down for the murder or we would have had to pin it on someone else. There wasn't time for that before he got on the plane to Sicily and you know it. Letting Damon sanction the hit on his father is our best chance."

 _"I won't let him get near you again. If Damon won't pull the trigger then I will, Bon."_

Bonnie knew that he didn't make idle threats. She loved Tyler because he was fierce and loyal. However, he used to be a hothead prone to violent outbursts at inopportune times. He had gotten better in the last few years but something like this was liable to make him revert to his former self. She said, "Damon wants him gone. I gave him the means to make that happen with as little blowback as humanly possible. I trust him to make this right. I know that you don't trust him and I wouldn't ask you to do that. However, I am asking you to trust me. Can you do that, Ty?"

 _"You know that I love you. I trust you with my life. But I don't know if I trust you with your own. When it comes to Damon…I'm not so sure, Bon. It's like you have a blind spot for him."_

She snapped, "Like you don't have a blind spot for Elena. Or should we just pretend that she doesn't think that she's better than you? Little Miss Medical School likes to pretend that her father and uncle haven't been working for the Salvatores for years."

 _"You're right. Elena does think that she's slumming it by being with me. The difference is I'm not tied to her for the rest of my life."_

She laughed coldly. "Not yet but we both know that you're going to propose to her soon."

 _The line went quiet for a moment. "We're not going to get married. I doubt that we will even be together by Valentine's Day."_

Bonnie's anger cooled at the sound of his voice. "What happened? I thought that you two were happy."

 _"Don't pretend that you want us together, Bon. I know how much you hate her."_

"Hate is a strong word. I don't hate Elena. I mean I don't like her but that's a far cry from hate. Besides, it doesn't matter how I feel about Elena. I know that you love her. I want you to be happy."

 _Tyler said, "We've just been growing apart. It's not important. I'm more concerned about you right now."_

Bonnie shook her head. "I know that my life is crazy right now but I'm still here for you. Do you want to talk about it?"

 _"Not much to say. Elena just prefers hanging out with her med school friends. She wants to be this…different person now. I'm not sure that I fit into her five-year plans anymore. I'm not even sure that I still want to fit into her plans."_

"What about your plans, Ty?"

 _"I don't know…they are the same as they always were."_

"You mean you still want to become a professional snowboarder and race car driver?" she asked teasingly.

 _Tyler huffed out a surprised laugh. "I had almost forgotten about that. You wanted to be a ballerina ninja."_

Bonnie chuckled and corrected him. "I wanted to be ballerina assassin."

 _Tyler chuckled and then paused. "I'm sorry for getting shitty about Damon. He's your husband and you love him. I get it but don't ask me not to hate him. You deserve better than him and his fucked up family."_

"I was going to be someone's possession the moment Grams found out that she was dying. I was too young to take over the business myself. If it wasn't Damon then it would have been a cousin distant enough that our children wouldn't come out with extra fingers or toes."

 _"Don't talk about yourself that way. You're not a possession."_

Bonnie said, "We both know that I am. I'm still too young to take over the smuggling operation. The men wouldn't respect me. I would lose what it took 100 years for my family to build. I won't let something as simple as pride take that from me. I have a plan and I am going to follow it until I can take what is rightfully mine. If things work out with Damon then that's great. If not…then we will just have to hope that one of the twins is a boy. Then he'll never have to touch me again. I should go. It's getting late."

 _Tyler sighed and then asked, "When will you be home?"_

"I'll be back early next week. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without dinner at the Salvatore Manor."

 _"We'll keep in touch until then. I'll let you know what Uncle Mason finds out from John."_

"Thanks, Ty. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Bonnie ended the call and then sat there for a few moments. She didn't like arguing with Tyler. He was one of the few people in her very small support system. She lived in the manor surrounded by Damon's family. They all cared for her but at the end of the day they would always choose his best interest over hers. She couldn't blame them. What was good for Damon was good for the future of the Salvatore family.

She slid off the counter and landed gingerly on her feet. Then she went into the bedroom and hid the phone in her jewelry box once more. Bonnie contemplated climbing into bed to get a good night's rest. However, too many thoughts and emotions cluttered her weary mind.

She picked up a thick fleece blanket as she walked out of the balcony's glass paned doors. It was cold outside by Southern California's standards. However, Bonnie liked the brisk weather of the Pacific Northwest. It felt like home to her. She settled down on the wicker loveseat and watched as the trees swayed in the wind. Her hand settled on her flat stomach. "It's going to be okay," she whispered.

Bonnie was worried for her unborn children and Sarah. Once upon a time, she had been a little girl that had witnessed the cruelties of life. She only hoped that the memories of that fateful night would fade for Sarah with time. Bonnie hadn't been so lucky as a child.

Her ears perked up when she heard someone bumping around the bedroom. She had left the doors open just enough that she could hear if Sarah needed her. Bonnie stood and walked into the bedroom. However, Sarah was still sleeping soundly.

"Son of a bitch," Damon barked from inside the bathroom.

She quietly crossed the room and lightly knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you okay, Damon?"

Damon opened the bathroom door with a sheepish look on his face. He was wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and had a toothbrush hanging from his mouth. He took out the toothbrush and said, "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't wake Sarah."

Bonnie shook her head and said, "No, she's still asleep. I am sure that she is exhausted. She stayed up until 11 o'clock telling me about everything she wants to do tomorrow with Nico and Bella."

His lips twitched into a smile as he looked at the bed from over Bonnie's shoulder. Sarah, Nico, and Bella were all the same age. Growing up in the manor together made them as close as if they were siblings. Damon had grown up having a similar connection to Zach. He was closer in age to him than he was Stefan. He asked, "She's sleeping in here with us tonight?"

"I hope you don't mind. I figured that I would wait until she was ready to start sleeping alone again. She might not be ready until we go back home. She is used to sharing her room with Bella. I don't think she likes sleeping alone."

Damon shook his head. "No, I don't mind. I would have done the same thing."

Bonnie smiled and said, "I'll let you get back to brushing your teeth. I am going to sit outside for a little longer."

"Why don't I come join when I am finished in here? We haven't exactly had much time alone since I've been here."

His offer surprised the young woman. Bonnie nodded. "I would like that, Damon."

Damn brushed his fingers against her hand and said, "I won't be too much longer."

Bonnie left Damon to his nightly routine and returned to the balcony. She wrapped up in the fleece one more while she waited for him to join her. She wondered idly if he meant to update her about Giuseppe. However, Bonnie knew that he wouldn't speak with her honestly about the man's fate.

Damon pulled on a t-shirt as he stepped onto the balcony. He sat beside Bonnie on the loveseat. Genuine concern marred his handsome features. "How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

Bonnie pulled her knees up to her chin. "I'm a little sore but otherwise I am okay. Jo prescribed something mild for the pain. She said that it was safe for me to take it while pregnant but I don't want to risk it. I was in more pain last week and managed to survive without any pain medicine."

Damon didn't like knowing that she was in pain. He wished that she would just take the medication. However, he knew it was more about assuaging his guilt. Bonnie had survived without medication or his concern for her wellbeing. He took Bonne's hand and asked, "Why didn't you tell me what happened? If you had called me, I would have come home, Bonnie."

"My main concern was getting Sarah out of the manor and as far away from Giuseppe as humanly possible. I didn't even know where I was going when I got in the car. I just knew that I had to run," she said.

She removed her hand from his grasp and sought the Saint Christopher medal hanging from her neck. Her thumb caressed the image imprinted on the metal. Bonnie couldn't tell Damon that she had first run to Tyler Lockwood. He would ask too many questions and might even get curious about her in ways he had never been.

Damon studied her heart-shaped face for some sign of deception. He said, "I understand why you didn't call me that night. Getting you and Sarah to safety had to take precedence. I just don't understand why you didn't call me once you were here."

"I was angry at you. Is that what you want to hear?"

He saw something that he didn't recognize glint in Bonnie's eyes. "Yes, if that is the truth. I know that my work schedule can't be easy on you and Sarah."

She glared at him. "I'm not stupid, Damon. I knew where you were. I always know where you are when you disappear for days at a time. I could have driven into the city to confront you at the Rischard but I didn't want to deal with it."

Damon felt his heartbeat quicken at her admission. He wasn't delusional enough to belief that Bonnie was unaware of his extramarital activities. However, knowing that he maintained a penthouse at the Rischard was another matter. "Bunny…"

"It is what it is, Damon. I knew about your relationship with Katherine before we got married. Grams warned me that it would likely continue. I accepted that your infidelity would be part of the arrangement. My only concern was that you kept it out of the public eye so that I wasn't humiliated. You've done well in that area. I don't particularly like Katherine but then again I wouldn't really like any mistress of yours. But she is very unpleasant," she bit out.

His eyes nearly bulged right out of their sockets. He asked, "How do you know about Katherine?"

Bonnie resisted the urge to scream in frustration. Of course, his first reaction was to ask how she knew about his mistress. She gave a bitter little laugh. "Did you really think that someone as petty and vindictive as Katherine wouldn't make her presence known? She's contacted me on numerous occasions over the years."

Damon couldn't believe that Katherine would betray his trust this way. She knew how hard it was for him to allow anyone into his life. "Why haven't you ever mentioned any of this to me?"

She shrugged and placed her feet on the ground. "We have a good thing going. You pretend to love me and I pretend to believe you. Telling you about Katherine's pathetic attempts to hurt my feelings would only make us have to confront the elephant in the room. You see how well that is going."

"I don't pretend to love you, Bunny. I do love you. I'm sorry that Katherine has been contacting you. I obviously didn't know but I will put a stop to it," he promised.

Bonnie wasn't surprised by Damon's lackluster response. Of course, he believed the problem stemmed from Katherine, instead of acknowledging that the affair was wrong. "I don't care about Katherine. She's insignificant. It isn't as if you are going to leave me for her. You are stuck with me. I just hoped that you would grow tired of her at some point. Or maybe…"

Damon asked, "Or maybe what?"

Bonnie shook her head and looked down at her hands. "Nothing. It's stupid."

He rested a hand on her knee and said, "Don't do that. I want to know what's on your mind, Bonnie."

"I guess I hoped that one day you might fall in love with me, too," she whispered. Bonnie hated feeling vulnerable with Damon. She loved him too much. She gave him too much power over her.

Damon felt a lump form in his throat as he swallowed. He thought back to his conversation with Rose that morning. He asked, "You're in love with me?"

She nodded.

"Since when?" he asked incredulously.

She stood up and said, "You're going to think that I'm an idiot. Can we just drop this, please? It's late and I should be in bed anyway."

He took both of her hands into his and steered her back to the loveseat. "Please, don't run away from me. Just talk to me, Bunny. Please?"

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "You've always been an important part of my life. I guess somewhere along the way I developed a crush on you. Then one day Grams tells me that I am going to marry you. I thought…all of my dreams were coming true. Then she told me about Katherine and it broke my silly little heart. I guess I should have tried harder to stop myself from falling in love with you but I didn't know how to do that."

Damon just sat there as he digested Bonnie's confession. He understood that she had just gone out on a limb. He couldn't leave her hanging. "I do love you, Bonnie. You are important to me."

Bonnie nodded with a crestfallen expression. The epiphany she had been hoping for wasn't going to happen. "But you don't love me as a man should love his wife. You love me as a friend or God forbid as a sister."

Damon chuckled darkly and said, "We have sex on a regular basis. I think it is safe to say that I don't love you as a sister."

She looked down and steeled herself. She said, "Then as a friend…"

He suppressed a frustrated growl. Damon didn't like being caught off guard and he had just been blindsided. His wife was in love with him and just being with him was hurting her. He seriously wondered what in the hell Sheila had been thinking entrusting him with her pride and joy. He was too broken to be a good husband. It took all of his energy to be a good father to Sarah and he wasn't always sure that he succeeded on that front. All he strived to do was not ruin his daughter in the way that Giuseppe had ruined him.

Bonnie saw that he was struggling to come up with a response. She could hear Tyler's warning in her head. She forced a smile for his benefit. "It's okay, Damon. I had no right to expect more than you can give me. I mean there are worse fates than having a husband that isn't in love with you. I could have been married off to someone like Giuseppe."

He huffed out a pained laugh. "Being married to me is slightly better than being married to an abusive psychopath."

"That's not what I said," she argued.

"No, that's what I am saying. You shouldn't need to feel grateful that I don't get drunk on the weekends and beat you. It's not insane or asking too much for your husband to be in love with you. Things are just complicated, Bonnie. Between the age difference and my profession, I never imagined that you would fall in love with me. From the moment, Giuseppe told me about the arrangement, I was terrified that you would be afraid of me."

Bonnie squeezed his hand. "I have never been afraid of you, Damon. I couldn't be. You have always been gentle and considerate with me. Even though you weren't in love with me I could see how you tried to make me happy. I mean you let me go to college despite all of the grief Giuseppe gave you about it."

The older man had been convinced that Bonnie would divorce Damon after finding someone closer to her own age.

He rolled his eyes as he thought about the argument he had with his father about Bonnie enrolling in school. "I wanted you to be able to make friends and get out of the house. I know that our lifestyle puts some unfair limitations on you. I want to give you as normal a life as our circumstances permit."

"I don't want normal. I want you, Damon."

Damon heard the sincerity in her words and it made him feel even worse. He could literally give Bonnie almost anything under the sun. However, all she wanted was for Damon to love her as much as she loved him. "You have me, Bonnie."

She decided now was the time to put her cards on the table. She had to know if this was a lost cause. Bonnie had her plans but they could change. She asked, "Do you think that you could ever fall in love with me? It's okay if you can't. I'll understand. I just need to know if I should stop hoping for the impossible."

Damon really considered her question and said, "Yes, I think that I could. I think I haven't allowed myself to consider the option because I didn't think that was what you would want. Maybe we can explore things between us once Giuseppe has retired."

Bonnie said, "I would like that, Damon."

He cupped her cheek and kissed her sweetly. "Yeah?"

Her cheeks flushed after the kiss. She nodded. "Yes."

Damon settled back on the loveseat and opened his arms. "Come here."

Bonnie shifted so that her head was resting on his shoulder. She pulled the fleece blanket around her more. A little voice told her not to put too much stock in Damon's words. However, her heart was running the show right now.

Damon's mind strayed to his mistress. His blood boiled at the thought of Katherine ever speaking to Bonnie. He could only imagine the things that she had said. Damon truly wondered what she thought calling Bonnie would accomplish. Their marriage was the merger of two legitimate and illegitimate enterprises. A little infidelity on his part wasn't going to suddenly end the relationship.

Then again, Katherine had a completely different upbringing than he and Bonnie did. She didn't know what it meant to have a duty to your family. Damon always knew that he wouldn't be able to marry for love. He was the eldest son and he was always going to marry someone of his father's choosing. The same was true for Bonnie. Sheila allowed Abby to marry for love. She picked a horrible man and it did nothing to benefit the family. Worse Sheila had to pay off Rudy to get him to go away. Abby's colossal failure had sealed her daughter's fate.

He knew one thing. Katherine would regret sticking her nose into his marriage.


	6. Exposure

Damon felt a migraine coming on as he listened to Giuseppe's uncle explain the state of things in Milazzo. The older man was heaping yet another problem onto his great-nephew's already overflowing plate. Just seventy-two hours ago, Damon felt as if everything in his personal and professional lives were on track. Now everything had gone to shit. He found himself rushing around trying to put out fires that he was just learning had been burning for quite some time. Damon knew that the complications of his personal life were all his doing. However, his professional life was in shambles because of his father's treachery. Damon was sorely tempted to gun the old bastard down in the street and be done with it. Unfortunately, the nature of their business would require him to be calculating—not impulsive.

"Thank you for being honest with me, Zio. I'll see you next month for Christmas. Ciao," Damon said. He ended the call and threw his phone at the wall in frustration. "Son of a bitch!"

Ric looked at the cracked phone a mere foot from where he was standing. He removed his hands from his pants' pockets and then walked up to the desk. "Was that really necessary?"

"Don't start with me! I'm not in the mood right now! I've had it up to here with your fucking brother! Brutto figlio di puttana," Damon angrily spat.

The older man's eyebrow went up at his outburst. Giuseppe raised them in a multilingual home but Damon rarely spoke Italian outside of small phrases of endearment. He sat down in front of the desk and waited for his nephew to calm down. It was pointless to talk to him once he'd worked up a good head of steam.

It took five minutes for Damon to settle down. He refilled his glass of bourbon and took a deep breath. He ran a hand through his dark hair and said, "He's been playing me this whole time. He has been playing all of us. Uncle Bruno said that Giuseppe has been in Milazzo solidifying his own position. He's been worried for awhile now that I would take the family from him."

Ric groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. There was a nugget of good news hidden amongst the bed. The good news was that his older brother realized that he didn't have the support to clip Damon. "Giuseppe must have found out that you have been doing the same thing stateside. He has to know that your position is all but guaranteed here."

Damon had been ingratiating himself to their people for the last two years. They all knew that Damon was the future of the organization. He was also preferred because of his balanced temperament. Well, he was balanced in comparison to Giuseppe. The elder Salvatore didn't limit his rage to just the members of his biological family. The slightest infraction could prove to be lethal if Giuseppe was in a bad mood. Damon also had the full support of Elijah Mikaelson. The alliance with the Mikaelson organization would stretch well beyond Giuseppe's tenure.

"He will split the family in half, Zio. Even the ones loyal to me know that our connection to the old country is crucial. Giuseppe needs to die before he can move against me. He might have sped up his plans because of what he did to Bonnie. He knows I'll want retribution."

Ric silently considered their options for a moment. "You need to reach out to Big John. We need the Bendettos' support now more than ever. The operation on this side of the Atlantic is loyal to you but you need to secure the other side. Having the Benedetto family on our side will go a long way. If Giuseppe loses favor in Big John's eyes, he is dead in the water. They might be close but the attack on Bonnie changes things. John will always choose family over business."

Damon incredulously asked, "Are you suggesting I tell my biggest ally that I allowed my father to beat the shit out of his first cousin's pregnant granddaughter? That's your big plan?"

Ric said, "No, I am suggesting that you use that relationship to your advantage. The Bendetto Family will go the way that Bonnie does. Maybe once she's all healed you take a trip to Milazzo. Before then, you and I need to take the trip over. You need some face time with our family. They need to understand that the Salvatore line doesn't end with Giuseppe. I've done my best to talk you up but you need to make that connection. You haven't spent any meaningful time in Milazzo in the last couple of years. It ends now, Damon!"

The younger man ground his teeth in anger but conceded Ric's point. He said, "Uncle Bruno and Uncle Jackie are on my side. They can help pave the way for me."

Bruno and Giacomo were Giuseppe's uncles. They were of course getting on in age but their ties to the organization ran deep. Giacomo had been Giuseppe's consigliere for 30 years before he retired and moved back to Milazzo. John Gilbert took his place in the organization. Bruno had been an underboss for almost as long before Ric took over for him. Bruno lived in Milazzo now, too.

Ric nodded. "Now you are using your head, Damon. Giuseppe is dead no matter what but we aren't going to lose control of the family. You've earned the top spot and the old man knows it."

Damon's phone started ringing across the room.

The older man retrieved the phone for his nephew. "I am surprised that the damn thing is still working after the way you threw it."

"Thanks," Damon muttered as he took the phone. His cerulean eyes darkened when he saw that it was Katherine. He immediately ignored the call and tossed the phone on his desk.

"Trouble in paradise?" he asked. Ric wasn't fond of his nephew's mistress. However, he wasn't exactly in the position to be anyone's moral compass about infidelity. Alaric's relationship with his mistress spanned nearly two decades at this point.

"Don't start," the younger man warned.

It had been two days since Bonnie's confession of her feelings and Katherine's betrayal. Damon still hadn't figured out how to handle his mistress. He gave her a certain amount of leeway because she had been with him for years. However, it would be an understatement to say that she crossed a line by trying to hurt Bonnie. He was too angry to deal with Katherine right now. He was worried that if they spoke, she would say something flippant or disrespectful to send him over the edge. It wouldn't take much for Damon to brutally remind Katherine of her place but he didn't like being that type of man.

Ric shook his head. "Go spend some time with the family. It'll help you relax. I'll stay in here and make some calls. I need to talk to Uncle Jackie. He can give us a road map of the old stalwarts that you are going to need to sway in our favor."

Damon considered rejecting the idea but he did want to spend more time with Bonnie. "Put more pressure on our people to find Giuseppe. Maybe he's shacked up with one of his whores."

"They'll find him, Damon. It's just taking time because we don't want to arouse any suspicion. He's laying low to test the waters after what he did. Get out of here and let me work my magic."

The raven-haired playboy snorted at his uncle but reluctantly left the office. He walked outside where the rest of their family was congregating. Jo and Meredith had decided that it was too nice an evening to be cooped up in the house. They were grilling dinner on the heated patio.

Bonnie and Caroline were seated on the far end of the patio shucking fresh corn for dinner. They were also keeping an eye on Tony while he played in the playpen beside them. The toddler was Caroline and Stefan's third and final child if you believed the blonde event planner.

Zach was kicking a soccer ball around with Bella, Nico, and Sarah in the backyard.

Damon sat down beside Stefan. "Double D definitely inherited Blondie's athleticism."

Stefan snorted and rolled his eyes. Everyone knew that he was the more athletic of the two Salvatore boys. Stefan had played football and baseball all four years of high school. "Caroline has told you a million times not to call him that."

He clapped his younger brother on the back. "You shouldn't have named him Damon Domenico Salvatore if you didn't want me to call him Double D. Trust me he'll love his nickname once he's interested in girls."

"I named him after you because I love you, asshole," Stefan said.

"I know." Damon smirked and watched as the kids tried to score a goal around Zach. However, his uncle was actively swatting the balls away from the net.

"Have you talked to Sarah about what she saw that night?"

The elder brother's eyes darkened. He bit out, "No. I know that I should but…"

Stefan offered, "Maybe she could talk to a professional. I sure as hell wouldn't know where to start." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and said, "It was bad enough having to keep our girlfriends away from the house. I hoped that I wouldn't have to worry about my wife's safety. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to protect Bonnie."

Damon smiled wryly He said, "He would have kicked your ass, pretty boy. You've never had to fight him one on one."

The younger man nodded and tried to ignore the sense of shame that washed over him. His uncles and older brother had been stepping in the way of Giuseppe's fists for years. "Maybe but I would have gladly taken it to protect her. I mean it's Bonnie. The one time I shoved her as a kid I thought he was going to beat the shit out of me. He probably would have if Sheila didn't get in the way. How does he go from protecting her like his own kid to attacking her?"

"He's a psychopath. There is no use trying to assign logical thought to his actions." Damon looked amused. "Why the hell did you shove her?"

"I can't even remember now. She was annoying the hell out of me because you weren't around. I got frustrated and shoved her, but Bonnie has always been tiny. The shove sent her straight to the ground. I remember her just looking up at me in shock. I couldn't have been more than ten at the time. The way Giuseppe barreled out of the house…I thought I was a dead man."

Damon looked at his brother for a moment and then thought better of it.

"What?" Stefan asked.

"What? What?"

He rolled his eyes. "You had that look, Damon. You wanted to say something. Is this about Mom?"

Damon huffed out a laugh. "I'm still not ready to talk about you taking my niece and nephews to go see that traitorous bitch."

Stefan didn't bother sticking up for their mother. Lilly had made her own bed where Damon was concerned. She chose her own safety and wellbeing over that of her sons. "Then what is it?"

He lowered his voice and said, "I don't know…it's just something that Bonnie said to me recently. She said that she's been in love with me for years."

The younger man laughed and clapped Damon on the back. "You're just figuring that out? Apparently, I got the looks, the athleticism, and the brains."

Damon glared at him.

"Did you completely forget the summer after Bonnie's 16th birthday? I spent most of that summer hard as a rock because of her walking around in tiny bikinis and short shorts. Trust me she wasn't prancing around the manor like that for my benefit. I checked."

Damon licked his lips because he remembered that summer very well. He avoided her like the plague because despite being a manwhore he drew the line at statutory rape. He scowled. "Wait! What do you mean you checked?"

Stefan shrugged. "What? She wasn't your wife back then. She was just our little Bon-Bon. I put on the standard Salvatore charm and she ended up crying in my arms about you going out on a date with Sybil."

He winced when he thought about Sybil. The woman had been a terrible decision on his part. She played Damon and Enzo against each other for months. "You're lucky that you were always so bad at talking to girls. I would hate to have to kneecap my own brother. There is no statute of limitations here."

Stefan grinned at his brother and clapped him on the back. "Whatever you say, big brother. Although, I think you are being a bit hypocritical considering all the women you've drug your dick through over the years. I'm surprised that Sarah is your only kid."

"Bastard," Damon muttered. Frankly, he was surprised, too.

Stefan winked and then jogged over to join the soccer game. He was tired of watching his uncle denying all of the kids' scoring attempts.

Caroline scoffed loudly. "Seriously? I can't believe that…that…harlot!"

Damon looked over at his wife and sister-in-law with curiosity. That was pretty salty language for Caroline. He stood and walked over to the table. He smirked and asked, "What's wrong, Barbie?"

The blonde woman glared at him. "You and your man parts are what's wrong, Damon," she accused in a heated tone. "You men are just so disgusting. Thank God Stefan is nothing like you."

"Well, no one has ever accused Stefan of being a man. What is it that I have supposedly done this time?" he asked.

Bonnie looked to be near tears. She snapped. "Stop, Care."

"You don't need to put up with his crap, Bon. I definitely wouldn't do it."

The girl stood up and said, "Well, you and I are in very different situations. Aren't we?"

Caroline immediately looked chastened. Stefan being the younger brother meant that he was free to marry anyone of his choosing. Their marriage had been for love. "I'm sorry, Bon. I wasn't thinking. Please forgive me and my big fat mouth."

Bonnie said, "It's fine. You were just trying to stick up for me."

Damon was getting irritated. His position in the family meant that when he asked a question, people rushed to answer him. He was already on edge after his conversation with Bruno. He asked, "What the hell is going on?"

Bonnie glared daggers at her husband as she brushed by him. She rushed into the house because she needed a moment to collect herself. She was angry, hurt, embarrassed, but most of all she was shocked. Being blindsided was what hurt her the most. Bonnie strived to prepare herself for any situation. However, twice in as many weeks something unexpected had knocked her off course.

Caroline said, "Just give her some space, Damon. You've done enough."

Damon dismissed his sister-in-law with a heated sneer. He marched into the house with his blood boiling in his veins. If he didn't like people ignoring him, he definitely didn't appreciate his wife walking away from him. He growled, "Bonnie!"

"Leave me alone!" Bonnie yelled over her shoulder. She ignored the pain in her ankle as she marched up the stairs. She tried to slam the door but Damon raced forward and grabbed it.

Damon forced his way into the bedroom and slammed the door closed behind them. Then he grabbed Bonnie's arm and said, "Don't walk away from me when I am trying to talk to you, damn it! What the hell has gotten into you?"

Bonnie threw her phone into his face and asked, "Are you going to slap me around like your father did?"

The phone to the face hadn't affected Damon but he released Bonnie's arm when she suggested he might strike her. He backed away from the girl and stared at her with wild eyes. "I would never…"

Bonnie got a sick thrill watching the way Damon recoiled at her venomous words. "Just leave me alone, please."

"If I've done something, I'd at least like to know what it is. I thought that we were okay now," he said. His voice was calm as if he were talking to a spooked horse.

"Your girlfriend thought now was a good time to send me a few choice pictures of the two of you together. Although, the screen captures of your text messages were a nice touch. You found a real winner with her, Damon. Maybe I should have accepted that divorce when you offered it."

Damon stepped forward but stopped when he saw the hardened look in Bonnie's tear-filled eyes. Those eyes didn't belong to his beautiful wife. "You don't mean that."

"Don't I? I have tried so hard to be a good wife. I have turned a blind eye to your affair...no matter how much it hurts me. How much disrespect am I supposed to take, Damon? If you don't appreciate me, someone else will…"

He was getting ready to object but his jaw ticked when Bonnie suggested there could be someone else. He ground out, "What the fuck are you saying?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes at his denseness. She said, "I'm saying that I'm young, beautiful, and rich. If Katherine means so much to you then let me go. I promise that I won't be alone for long! I'm saying that I can do a hell of a lot better than you, Damon Salvatore!"

Damon growled and got in her face. All he saw was red as he thought about someone else touching his wife. "Are you fucking someone else?"

"You've got a lot of nerve accusing me when you just spent two weeks with your mistress! What if I do have someone else in my life? What if I am seeing someone that actually loves me and cares about my happiness? What the hell could you do about it?"

"It's not the same thing and you know it! You are a mine. You are my wife. If I ever found out that there was someone else, I would slit his throat in front of you, Bonnie! Don't play games with me, little girl! Now answer my fucking question! Are you fucking someone?"

She rolled her eyes at his threat.

Damon picked up a lamp and threw it at the wall. "Do you think that I am joking? I am the only man that you will ever be with, Bonnie."

Bonnie looked unimpressed by his outburst. "Do you love her?"

Damon got whiplash with how quickly Bonnie switched topics. His mind still reeled at the possibility of another man touching his wife. "Of course not!" he shouted. "Why would you even ask me something like that?"

"Here's the thing…either you're lying to her or you are lying to me. Either way you are a freaking liar," she screamed as a sob shook her body. Bonnie dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Damon stood there in shock for a solid minute. He stared at the closed bathroom door and debated going after Bonnie. However, he looked down at her phone lying at his feet and then bent down to pick it up. He was glad to find that the screen wasn't locked. Damon felt the urge to choke the life out of Katherine when his eyes fell onto a picture that she had sent Bonnie. It was a selfie of Katherine lying naked beside Damon while he was sleeping.

He scrolled through four pictures obviously taken in the last week. However, the screen caps of their text exchanges really took the cake. His relationship with Katherine was as complicated as it was long. Damon used her for sex and companionship. Katherine used him for money and companionship. He all but supported the family she thought he knew nothing about. However, Damon wasn't the type of man to enter a long term affair with a woman he didn't know every detail about. If he was being honest, he had grown to care about Katherine over the years. However, he only said that he loved her because that's what women wanted to hear. It was his way of appeasing Katherine. He certainly didn't feel for her what he felt for Bonnie. There wasn't another woman alive that he would want as his wife. Damon could honestly say that he loved Bonnie more than he'd ever loved another person.

"Damn," he muttered softly.

Damon walked over to the bathroom door and knocked lightly. "Bonnie? I'm sorry. Baby, let me in."

"Just go, please. Leave me with a little dignity, Damon," she pleaded through the door.

Damon leaned his forehead against the door and tried to settle himself. Yelling at Bonnie was the last thing she needed from him. He had already crossed the line by grabbing her like a fool. "I'll sit here all night if that's what it takes, Bunny."

"I don't know if I can keep doing this," she said. Bonnie tried to stifle a sob. "Maybe you'd be happier with her."

Damon said, "I won't lie to you, Bonnie. I care for Katherine but it isn't what I have with you. It never could be and she knows that. She's jealous of you, baby. Don't you see that?"

"She makes me feel like I'm the other woman, Damon. Maybe I am the other woman and I am just too stupid to realize it," she replied.

Damon's fists clenched in frustration. Katherine really wasn't worth all of the trouble she was causing. He looked around the room for something to pick the lock on the bathroom door. However, his eyes ran across the balcony doors. Damon was suddenly glad that this was a Greek Revival house. He walked out the balcony doors and opened the ones that led into the bathroom.

Bonnie leaned against the counter as she cried. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. She hated feeling weak. She hated letting Damon affect her this way. She jumped when the doors opened. In her fit, she hadn't thought about locking the doors.

He walked into the bathroom and stood in front of Bonnie. "You are not the other woman. You are my wife, Bonnie Salvatore. And I love you. I do not love Katherine or anyone else."

"I don't believe you," she whispered. "You don't need to lie to me, Damon. I don't actually want a divorce. I was just angry. Maybe it is time for me to grow up and start looking at this marriage as the business arrangement it was always meant to be. We wouldn't be the first couple to live separate lives."

Damon felt something crack inside of him as he watched Bonnie turn colder in front of him. He gently grabbed her face and pulled her into a kiss. "No. You're my wife. Do you hear me? I love you and I know I'm a shit husband, Bon. But it isn't because I look at this as a business arrangement. I'm just not a very good person."

Bonnie wasn't swayed one iota by his declaration. All she felt was her heart breaking. "I'd really like for you to leave me alone now. I just need some time to myself. I am sure I look a mess after all of the crying. I need to fix my makeup."

Damon leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, "I can't just leave you alone while you are hurting. I'm sorry, baby. Please, forgive me. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't think that Katherine would pull a stunt like this. I promise that I will end the affair. I'm done with her. You have my word."

Bonne's dewy eyes fluttered closed in despair. She didn't believe a word coming from his faithless mouth. Bonnie might have allowed herself to believe him before she saw those text messages but they were damning. Damon loved Katherine. Bonnie couldn't have foreseen that wrinkle in her plans. All of her insecurities came bubbling to the surface. What was wrong with her? What more could she possibly do to make Damon chose her? She finally understood that the heartbreaking answer was nothing.

"Did you hear me? I am done with Katherine, bunny. From now on, I'm just going to focus on our family. We have so much to look forward to, right? Our family is growing." He rested his hands on her flat stomach. Damon nuzzled the side of her neck. "I love you."

A little voice in Bonnie's head was urging her to slam Damon's face into the mirror behind her. She wanted him to hurt as much as she was hurting right now. However, she ignored the violent impulse and instead forced a smile for her husband's benefit. "I love you, too."

Damon relaxed when he felt the tension leave Bonnie's body. He now knew exactly how to handle Katherine. It was time for her to get a visit from Enzo.


	7. A Simple Miscalculation

Katherine checked her phone for the tenth time. However, there still weren't any messages or missed calls from Damon. It was unlike him to ignore her completely. Usually, he at least texted her if he was busy. Her level of disinterest at the nightclub that evening hadn't gone unnoticed by her friends. They tried to cheer her up and it had worked for the majority of the night. She forgot about Damon and focused on spending his money. However, he invaded her thoughts once more as she rode to the villa in silence.

Katherine was the ultimate chameleon. She could blend into any setting for the right price—and there was always a price. Katherine had spent the majority of her youth bilking wealthy men out of thousands of dollars. She was beautiful and had an exotic look about her. Men found her irresistible and Katherine saw nothing wrong with using her feminine wiles to get what she wanted. She knew that some women, like Rose, disdainfully called her a whore. However, Katherine thought it was foolish to have sex with men without receiving compensation. If she was going to spread her legs to have lackluster sex with uninteresting men, then she was damn well going to be paid handsomely for it.

Fortunately, lackluster sex wasn't in Damon's impressive repertoire. He was an absolute mad man in bed. Katherine could write love poems to his laudable skill set. She had been with Damon a little over eight years. Their relationship was by far the longest she had ever had. Katherine loved Damon. However, all the glitz and glam that came with him made her stay even after he married Bonnie. Over the years, he bought her racks full of designer clothes, expensive shoes, and fur coats. Damon even had one of the three bedrooms in the penthouse converted into a walk-in closet for her. She had her own bank account and access to his credit cards. Every couple of years she received a new sports car from Velocita. Damon ensured that she wanted for nothing. She had never wanted to be exclusive before he demanded it from her four years ago. That's when their relationship changed.

Katherine was angry despite enjoying her stay at the Salvatore's villa in the Canary Islands. She couldn't believe that Damon had ended their two weeks together early in order to swan off after his wife. However, she had erased most of that frustration with a string of vicious texts to Bonnie. Katherine couldn't stand Damon's simpering child bride. The women had crossed paths on a few occasions mostly due to Katherine's machinations. Frankly, she didn't understand Damon's interest in the girl. Furthermore, she took a perverse amount of pleasure from taunting Bonnie with the details of their affair.

Katherine wasn't some delusional girl that idolized _Pretty Woman._ She knew that there would never be a time where she would become Damon's wife. She didn't have the background or patience for such a thing. However, she liked being desired above all else. Damon's affection for Bonnie made her feel unsteady. She was concerned that everything they had built would come crashing down around her. When he first married the girl, Damon would still see Katherine several times a week. Now it was down to a half dozen times in a month. Sometimes he popped by the penthouse in the middle of the day for a quickie but it wasn't the same. She could feel herself losing Damon as his affection for Bonnie grew. The jaded side of Katherine would argue that she feared losing her meal ticket. However, the honest part of her, that she vehemently ignored, knew that losing Damon would hurt.

Katherine grabbed onto the driver's shoulder as she climbed out of the SUV. She needed the older man's assistance because she was drunk but it was also to protect her modesty. The black mini dress with its diamond shaped cutouts left very little to the imagination. If Katherine wasn't careful someone was bound to get an eyeful of her bare crotch. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning so she needn't worry about looky-loos seeing her. However, she knew from experience that the old curmudgeon reported to Damon regularly. Damon tolerated most of Katherine's behavior. However, he had a few rules that were non-negotiable. Rule #1 she wasn't allowed to have any other sexual partners. Rule #2 she wasn't to embarrass him publicly. Rule #3 she couldn't use any needle drugs. She knew the last rule was because of Bree's near fatal overdose.

She tugged her dress into place once she was standing on the ground in front of the driver. She smiled up at him. 'Thank you, Felipe."

"Will that be all for the night, Miss?" He asked dutifully.

"Yes, I'll need you back here at noon. I am having lunch with the girls."

Felipe closed the door and nodded. "I will be here at a quarter til, Miss."

Katherine walked toward the beachfront villa and called over her shoulder. "Good night."

He stood there and watched as she made it to the door. "Good night."

She unlocked the door and walked into the darkened two-story villa. She visited the Canary Islands often enough that this place felt as if it was her second home. Katherine had dreams of retiring in a place like this. She couldn't stand the hustle and bustle of the city.

Katherine set the alarm and then braced herself against the wall as she stepped out of her stilettos. Afterwards she padded through the darkened house and went into the kitchen. She was hungry. Katherine hadn't eaten since breakfast.

She searched the subzero freezer until she found a pint of mint chocolate chip. It wasn't a balanced meal but it would do in a pinch. Katherine pulled a spoon from a nearby drawer and then ambled into the living room. She sprawled out on the couch and opened the carton of ice cream as she watched the ocean's waves crashing against the shore. It was almost comical how her life had changed from her troubled youth.

Katherine's father had abandoned their family after losing all of their money to his gambling debts. Her family ended up living in a poverty-stricken neighborhood on Boston's south side. Her mother would carpool out to the suburbs where she cleaned the houses of the affluent. Katherine had come a long way from the girl that used to steal lacy underwear from the store by stuffing them into the sleeves of her winter coat.

She finished the pint of ice cream and left it on the coffee table. The house cleaner would take care of it in the morning. She sauntered into the bedroom as she struggled to pull off her dress. It was late and she had drunk far too much in her annoyance. She had called Damon several times since they parted ways and he hadn't responded to her. His aloofness only fueled her rage. Katherine didn't like being ignored but knowing that it was because of Bonnie drove her mad.

Once in the bedroom she peeled off the gauzy material and climbed into the bed. She hoped the cool caress of the silk sheets would calm her down. Katherine would hate to do something rash in her agitation.

Her eyes fluttered closed as sleep began to overtake her. The sound of the ocean right outside always soothed her.

Katherine was on the edge of sleep when she heard the unmistakable sound of a round being chambered in a gun. When her dark brown eyes opened, Lorenzo St. John was standing over her with a menacing look on his face.

He pressed the barrel of the gun so that the cool steel kissed her forehead.

She relaxed minutely and slowly eased into a sitting position. She swallowed thickly. "You scared me…"

"That was rather the point, love."

Katherine turned on the lamp and rolled her eyes. "Is this your idea of a joke?"

Enzo sat on the edge of the bed and put the safety on his gun. "No, this was meant to be a warning."

"From whom?" she asked incredulously. Enzo was Damon's loyal soldier and had been for many years now. Of all people, he would know that she was untouchable.

"Mr. Salvatore didn't appreciate the series of naughty pictures and text messages that you sent his Missus yesterday. He also found out that this isn't the first time you've contacted her. You've been very naughty, Kitty Kat."

Katherine was rarely shocked by anything. However, Bonnie showing some backbone was a serious departure. She couldn't believe that the girl had actually grown a pair and told Damon about the texts. She pouted prettily at Enzo and asked, "What is he going to do take my black card away from me?"

Enzo grinned. "You don't seem to understand the severity of what you did. You picked exactly the wrong time to fuck around with his wife, Katerina. The boss is very tense right now and he sent me to give you a stern warning. The next time you contact his wife or take pictures of him without his knowledge I am to put a bullet in your pretty little head."

Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what the hell was happening. She only heard bits and pieces of Damon's conversation with Rose the other day. She really only knew that Bonnie had taken his daughter to Shadow Hills. Damon's reaction seemed extreme but he never joked about killing people. If this was the message he ordered Enzo to give her, then he meant it. "He's threatening to kill me because of a few pictures?"

"Let's just say the boss is a little more family minded these days. The little Missus is up the duff." He knew better than to say anymore to Katherine about the situation. They were friends but she would throw anyone under the bus to save her own ass.

"I can't believe that he actually did it. He knocked up the little bitch," Katherine muttered. After four years of marriage, she had started to believe that Bonnie was simply infertile.

Enzo added, "With twins."

She wet her lips as she tried to think of a way to appease Damon. He was easier to manipulate when they were face to face. Having an ocean between them could prove to be a major obstacle. "I might have made a miscalculation."

"You think?" He chuckled and nudged her hip. "Move over."

Katherine shifted positions to make room for Enzo in the bed.

Enzo kicked off his boots and scooted onto the bed more. He said, "The good news is that he's angrier at someone else. You are just a more convenient target at the moment. If you lay low for a while, Damon will cool off. You should stay here for a few weeks. Maybe you could invite Rada out here. She could bring your sister and Nadia for a visit."

She studied Enzo's guarded expression. "What aren't you telling me, Enzo? I would never ask you to betray Damon's confidence because I know that you wouldn't do it. Nevertheless, we are talking about my life here. Do I need to end things with him and cut my losses?"

He was silent for a beat. "He's talking about ending things with you but I don't think it is as serious as that just yet."

"I'd beg to differ considering I woke up with a gun pointed in my face."

Katherine was no fool. She knew exactly the type of people she was dealing with now. Her mother had warned her against pursuing Damon because of his family's underworld reputation. However, she had reasoned that Damon was a college graduate. It wasn't likely that he was a gun toting gangster. In their time together, she had learned that gangsters came in different types.

Enzo rolled his eyes. "I just wanted you to understand that this was serious. I know that you are used to Damon putting up with your shit but he's not in a good place now. He doesn't have the patience to overlook your tantrum."

She bristled at the suggestion that her actions were little more than a childish tantrum. She opened her mouth to object.

He put up a hand to silence her. "Sending those pictures to Mrs. Salvatore was definitely a tantrum on your part. Don't deny it."

"I guess I can own up to that. It was just that I had two more days with Damon and he just took off with no warning. He didn't even stick around to say goodbye to me. And he's been ignoring my calls and messages since then…for her," she spat.

Enzo considered her for a moment and then said, "If you breathe a word of this to anyone I will break your neck myself."

She nodded in agreement. Katherine needed to know what she was dealing with here. Ending her affair with Damon wouldn't be her first choice but survival was always her endgame. She could always find another arrangement with another man.

Katherine said, "I won't say a word, Enzo. I know that you are the only one on my side."

Enzo had been against Damon's marriage to Bonnie from the beginning. He thought the girl was too young to be anyone's wife. He certainly didn't think that Damon was the right person to be her husband. Enzo had known from the beginning that their relationship would be an unmitigated disaster. While he knew that Katherine didn't have the background, he always thought she was a better match for Damon. She was more his equal than Bonnie would ever be because of the age difference.

"Damon had to cut short your time together because his wife had an unfortunate run in with his old man. I'll let you draw your own conclusions about what happened," he replied.

Katherine swallowed thickly and avoided Enzo's gaze. She knew all too well the danger that Giuseppe Salvatore posed to young women. Katherine didn't like Bonnie but she had sympathy for her situation. She couldn't imagine living in the same house with him. Katherine went out of her way to ensure she never crossed the elder Salvatore's path.

She tapped her fingertips against Enzo's thigh in contemplation. She said, "I think that I will take your advice, Enzo. It has been a few weeks since I've seen Nadia. I'm sure Nadia and my mother would love to vacation here with me. We'll probably stay until after the New Year."

He nodded. "I am sure that she is missing her mother."

Katherine pointedly glared at Enzo because she knew what he was driving at. He was always making little jabs about the secrets that she kept from his boss. "Damon has no interest in knowing about my real life. He likes that I am available to him at a moment's notice."

"His heart is not made of stone. Nadia is…."

"She is none of his concern," she snapped. "She is my daughter and I decide who is allowed to be part of her life."

Enzo held up his hands in surrender. "I only brought it up because knowing the truth would stay his hand."

"The truth?" she scoffed. "You don't even know the truth, Enzo."

The hitman knew that he was treading in dangerous territory but he cared for Katherine. He could see the writing on the walls even if she couldn't. Her relationship with Damon was going to come to an end sooner rather than later. Damon wouldn't risk losing Bonnie for good. Katherine's next benefactor might not be as generous or nice as Damon was.

"I know that Nadia is either Damon's daughter or his sister. Either way he wouldn't be inclined to kill her mother. He would also make sure that the two of you wanted for nothing no matter your relationship status."

Katherine didn't doubt that. She saw how quickly he adapted to the role of father after Bree disappeared. Despite his flaws, Damon believed in the importance of family.

She said, "His family would take her from me, Enzo. You see how Giuseppe keeps his family under his thumb. He would want to do the same with my Nadia and I won't lose her. It is better that she lives in anonymity with my mother. I was taking care of my family long before I met Damon Salvatore. I will continue to take care of them once he's no longer in my life."

Enzo fell silent. "And if Mr. Salvatore was no longer a problem?"

Katherine shrugged. "Perhaps but that bastard will probably outlive us all."

Enzo couldn't tell her anything more. However, he had been searching for Giuseppe for the last few days. The man was living on borrowed time.

"Every story comes to an end, Katherine. I just want to make sure that Nadia has a good life. I want her to be able to go to college."

She softened at Enzo's concern for her daughter. "I know that you care for her."

"Not only her," he replied.

Enzo had never crossed the line with Katherine because he knew better. Damon would kill him with no questions asked. Moreover, he didn't have the type of money that made Katherine's panties wet. Nevertheless, they were friends and he always looked out for her.

Katherine didn't dare look in Enzo's direction. He was her friend but she knew that he wanted more from her. "I know that you think that I am shallow but I'm not stupid. I always knew that this arrangement with Damon had an expiration date. I've made good use of our time together. I won't suddenly be plunged into poverty when it ends."

He decided to relent because Katherine wasn't likely to change her mind. She was stubborn for a woman that liked to live life on the edge.

"Are you staying to keep an eye on me? Or will you have to fly back in the morning?"

Enzo said, "I was in Madrid when Damon called me. I've been…handling some business there. I think I'll stick around a few days, if you'll have me."

She grinned. "It'll be a lot less boring with you here. My friends are going to love you. We're going to get you laid."

He huffed out a laugh. "I don't need to get laid."

"Trust me, Enzo. I know when a man is in need of some feminine attention. You're practically living like a monk these days."

It was true. He hadn't been in a serious relationship in years. His lifestyle meant there were always willing women in the offing. However, he hadn't been interested in random flings for a long time now. At 35 years old, Enzo felt it was time to settle down. He just hadn't found the right woman yet.

"You could always hook me up with Veronika," he teased.

Katherine laughed heartily. "My sister is too young for you. Besides, my mother would have a heart attack."

"Rada loves me," he argued.

"That doesn't mean that she'd want you with her little girl. Besides, Veronika actually has a future."

Enzo knew that was down to the sacrifices Katherine had made for her sister. She was paying out of pocket for the younger Petrova sister to get her bachelor's degree in nursing. Veronika was set to graduate in the spring. "And you are saying that I don't."

Katherine said, "Not one that I would want my sister to have any part in, Enzo. There is a reason that I've never let her meet Damon."

He jeered, "That's because she's six years younger than you. You're worried that he'll want her instead."

She scowled at him because it was true. Rose's insults had struck a chord in her at the penthouse. Katherine was on the wrong side of 30 now. Damon would be looking to replace her with someone younger in the near future. However, being in her 30's wouldn't stop her finding a new benefactor. She would just have to hunt for older prey. A 60 year old would still find her to be young and tempting.

"Well, then I guess it is fortunate that Veronika already has a boyfriend."

Enzo looked genuinely surprised. "When did that happen? I thought Rada kept her on a short leash."

Rada tried to prevent Veronika from turning out like Katherine had. She didn't approve of her eldest daughter's lifestyle despite the fact that it allowed her to stop cleaning other people's houses.

She shrugged. "It's not as if she can follow her to class every day. Besides, it's not as if Mom knows. Veronika met a boy at school and has been keeping it a secret from her."

"Good for her. Nika is a good kid." Enzo glanced at his watch and said, "It's late and I am exhausted. I should go to one of the guest rooms. I haven't slept much in the last few days."

Katherine rolled her eyes and said, "You can just stay here, Enzo. It's not as if anything is going to happen."

Enzo climbed out of the bed. "And if the maid arrives early tomorrow morning and finds us in bed together? I'll see you in the morning, Kitty Kat. I'd prefer for my retirement package not to include a bullet to the head."

"It was worth of shot," Katherine said teasingly. She turned off the lamp as he started walking out of the room. "Good night, Lorenzo."

"Night," he replied with a wry smile. He closed the door as he left the room.


	8. What The Fire Left Behind

Damon knew that certain people would call him a misogynist or a chauvinist. He would probably agree with those people to a certain degree. However, he generally just saw himself as having old school values. Giuseppe raised him to believe that a good wife had to possess certain qualities. Fortunately, Bonnie possessed those qualities in spades. She was beautiful, demure, compassionate, maternal, charming, intelligent, and elegant. However, Bonnie's relative innocence had always been his favorite trait. Damon had never confessed that to even his closest friends for fear that Enzo and Rose would believe he was a pervert. He shuddered to think how Bonnie would react to the salacious thoughts tucked into the dark recesses of his mind.

In the beginning, he had been firmly against marrying Bonnie. Damon still thought of her as a child when Sheila and Giuseppe brought the proposal to him. She was 17 years old and closing in on being an adult—legally. However, she was still the little girl that he had watched grow up. Damon could remember helping her learn to swim. He didn't understand how anyone could expect him to marry her. Giuseppe bribed him with the top seat at Velocita. It was a great enticement but Sheila had truly won him over. The truth was that Bonnie needed a husband to protect her interests. Sheila told Damon that he could be that husband or it could be someone the girl barely knew. Something snapped inside of Damon at the mere thought of Bonnie being married to some asshole he didn't even know.

His engagement and subsequent marriage to Bonnie made him face some hard truths. His feelings for the girl weren't quite as familial and platonic as he had led himself to believe. The best evidence of that had been the day of their wedding. Damon spent the majority of the day sporting half an erection because he couldn't stop thinking of getting Bonnie alone. He struggled to understand from where this sudden burst of lust for her stemmed. Bonnie looked gorgeous in her wedding dress but that couldn't be it. Dozens of stunning women had graced his bed and the back seat of his cars over the years. He knew it couldn't just be Bonnie's beauty that attracted him. However, the truth struck him like lightning when she emerged from their hotel suite's bathroom dressed in white satin and lace. Damon was turned on by the fact that something so pure and innocent belonged to him. It was possessing Bonnie in every way that set his blood on fire. That night he claimed Bonnie's body and heart as his own. No one else had ever been within her depths and no one else ever would.

After four years of marriage, Damon and Bonnie were never more in harmony than when they made love. All of their differences and conflicts seemed to fall away when they were intertwined. He had all but ordered Ric to get everyone out of the house that morning because he didn't want to be disturbed. He needed to be alone with his wife because their argument about Katherine had left him uneasy. Bonnie had stopped being argumentative two days ago. However, she feigned smiles to their family and refused to speak to Damon. She shunned his attempts at apologizing. His words and gifts did nothing to dull the sadness in her eyes. He hated that he was the reason for her pain. Damon needed to make her realize that Katherine was merely a distraction in comparison to her. Ric had reluctantly agreed to Damon's plan. However, his uncle had threatened him with castration if he managed to make things worse in their absence.

Husband and wife had spent all morning and most of the afternoon in bed. They angrily devoured each other leaving behind passion marks and scratches to stake their claim on each other. However, that slowly ebbed into heartfelt lovemaking that left Bonnie in tears. Afterwards, Damon just held his wife in his arms long after she drifted to sleep. He nestled his nose in her wavy brown hair and inhaled her calming essence. For the first time in days, everything felt normal and Damon could think clearly again. He didn't understand how Bonnie could so thoroughly consume him. He truly didn't know what he would do if she left him. Well, that wasn't true. Damon knew exactly what he would do…he would kill anyone that got in the way of him getting her back. Bonnie was his and she would be until the day he drew his last breath.

Damon looked down when Bonnie started moving. He gently combed his fingers through her hair as his eyes lingered on the swell of her breasts. Damon ached to have her again but he knew there wasn't time. The sun was getting lower on the horizon and soon enough their family would return. Moreover, he didn't want Bonnie to overexert herself. Her body was still recovering from a trauma and she was carrying his children. Damon was still trying to wrap his brain around that. He always knew that he would have children because it was expected of him. However, Damon would never lie and say that he had planned for Sarah's arrival.

In fact, he hadn't even known that she existed until his flighty ex-girlfriend's sister dropped Sarah on his doorstep. Frankly, that was a generous description. Bree's younger sister quite literally abandoned his three-month-old daughter at the front gates of Salvatore Manor. She stuck around long enough for the guards to find the baby and then she sped off into the night.

Damon had been furious at first. He used thousands of dollars to track Bree down to get some sort of explanation. Damon learned that someone had broken into her house and shot her up with a nearly lethal dose of heroin when Sarah was two months old. Bree had been sober for years and the set back crushed her soul. Damon knew immediately that his father was behind it. Giuseppe must have found out about Sarah and decided to retaliate against Bree for keeping the baby from their family. She signed over her parental rights and Damon gave her enough money to check into the best rehab. Until this day, he puts a generous monthly stipend in an offshore account for Bree.

Damon lightly brushed his lips against Bonnie's. "It's time wake up, bunny," he murmured quietly.

Bonnie's green eyes fluttered open. She gave a tired smile and asked, "What time is it?"

He glanced at the clock and said, "A little after five o'clock. Everyone will be coming back soon. I figured that you would want a shower before then."

She nodded and yawned a little. The three-hour nap just hadn't been long enough. Bonnie bit back a wince when she started to sit up in the bed. "It was really nice of Ric to give us the house for the day. I am sure he didn't really feel like taking everyone putt-putt golfing and go-cart racing."

Damon noted the wince and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay."

He cupped her cheek gently. "Are you sure that I didn't hurt you? Maybe it was too soon…"

Bonnie smiled a little. Sometimes he could be so tender. It made her love him even more. She leaned into his touch and said, "I'm fine. You worry too much, Damon. I needed to feel close to you again. Besides, it had been awhile and I…just needed you."

Damon smirked after his wife's admission. He kissed her and then said, "I needed you too, Bon."

Her smile brightened even more because she believed Damon. Bonnie knew that her husband wasn't good with verbalizing his emotions. She had felt every bit of his desperation while they made love. He had been trying to prove something to her. She loved Damon and nothing would change that. However, she needed to start making moves for herself. Bonnie said, "I am going to shower and then squeeze in a little study time. I have finals coming up in a couple weeks."

He watched with hungry eyes as Bonnie climbed out of the bed. However, he tried to temper his desire. He huffed. "You always ace your exams. You are a much better student than I ever was."

Bonnie pulled on her robe and playfully rolled her eyes. "That's not exactly a high bench mark.

Damon was across the bed and had his arms around her in mere seconds. He buried his face in her neck and murmured, "It's not nice to call your husband dumb, bunny."

"You weren't dumb," she replied. "You were lazy."

He huffed out a laugh and steered her towards the bathroom with his hands on her hips. "I guess you are right about that but I still managed to graduate from business school."

Bonnie slipped out of his grasp and turned on the shower. "I've been thinking that I might go to business school, too."

Damon wasn't surprised by that. Bonnie had always been intelligent and driven. He said, "I think that business school would be good for you. You know I support your education 100%, baby."

She took off her robe and hung it from a hook on the door. "Really?"

He eyed her body and nodded. "Of course, bunny. I never expected you to be a stay-at-home wife."

Bonnie bit her lip as she stepped into the shower. "Do you think that you could talk to Uncle Zach for me about an internship at Velocita? I need an internship to meet the requirements for graduation at the end of the spring semester. I want to be able to graduate in May. Maybe if I impress him, he'll decide to hire me after graduation. I mean I know that I am guaranteed a seat on the board now that I am 21 but I want to be more involved. The best way I can do that is by learning about the company from the inside.

Her simple request floored Damon. He had always assumed that she would want to take over as CEO of Benedetto-Vicario Wine & Spirits after college. He had been looking into real estate to move the company's headquarters to Southern California. He stepped into the shower with Bonnie. "You really want to work at Velocita after college? What about BVWS?"

She turned to Damon as she lathered herself with vanilla scented body wash. "Well, Tessa is doing an amazing job here. Her move with the microbreweries last year was genius. I don't see a reason to remove her as CEO. Besides, BVWS belongs here in Shadow Hills and I belong with you."

Damon's heart thudded in his chest when Bonnie said that she belonged with him. He caressed her cheek. "Do you really want to work at Velocita?"

She nodded. "More than anything, Damon. I was always interested in Bennett Technologies before it merged with Velocita. I loved looking at the drafts for my papere's designs when I was a kid. Besides, Velocita is like the two of us—the very best that the Salvatores and Benedettos have to offer the world."

Damon didn't remember much about Bonnie's great-grandfather. Claude had died in the early aughts. He only remembered his father calling the man a coward for allowing his wife to keep her maiden name when they married. However, what he remembered of Miss Emily would suggest that Claude didn't allow her to do anything. Giuseppe had been similarly displeased when Damon agreed to allow Bonnie to hyphenate her last. However, he understood that in the girl's eyes her line was facing extinction. Damon couldn't take away the last vestige of her grandmother.

He smiled a little. "The very best of the Salvatores and the Bennetts…I like that. If you truly want to work at Velocita then I will make it happen, bunny. We will talk to Zach tonight about finding an internship for you at the company. I don't want you working in the mail room or some bullshit like that. I'll make sure that you are shadowing him. I'm sure he could use a second assistant. He's always bitching about all the work he has to do. I'll also have the company extend an official offer of employment post dated for after graduation."

Bonnie's eyes lit up and she threw her arms around Damon's neck. She kissed him soundly on the lips and then pulled back with a sheepish smile. "Thank you."

Damon wrapped his arms around her waist and said, "You don't need to thank me. I will always try to give you whatever your heart desires. Besides, Velocita is as much yours as it is mine, Sheila made sure of that during the merger. I would never try to deprive you of that."

"But Giuseppe…"

He tensed when she mentioned his father. He shook his head. "He will be retired and no longer our concern. He won't stand in the way of this or anything else in our lives. I promise."

Bonnie leaned up and kissed him once more.

Damon reluctantly let Bonnie go when he heard his phone ringing in the bedroom. "I need to get that."

She nodded. "Go. You'll only distract me anyway."

He winked at Bonnie and stepped out of the shower. Damon wrapped a towel around his waist as he exited the bathroom.

Bonnie gave a pleased little smile and finished showering. That had been easier than she had expected. Bonnie couldn't tell if Damon truly meant it or if he was only amenable because of the guilt. Either way she would have her internship at Velocita and a permanent position after graduation. Bonnie knew the terms of the merger line by line. She knew that she could throw her proverbial weight around and demand a position of her choosing. However, it could quickly become acrimonious. An aggressive action would also tip off Damon. The longer he believed that she was a delicate flower the better. Damon wasn't ready to see her true colors. She didn't know if he would ever be able to handle the woman that Sheila Bennett raised.

Frankly, she found his naiveté to be confounding—if not useful. He knew how formidable Sheila and Emily had been. He had undoubtedly heard stories about the prowess of Hannah. How could he ever assume someone that shared the genes of those women could be a weakling? Even her mother was made of steel. Abby had the reputation of being a fragile heart and a free spirit. However, when Sheila refused to let Abby divorce Rudy the younger woman had systematically poisoned her husband for weeks. When Sheila finally caught wind of her actions, she allowed Abby to file for divorce and paid Rudy to make him go away.

Bonnie finished showering and then stepped out of the glass enclosure. She took her time drying off before walking into the empty bedroom. She assumed that Damon had gone to take the call out of her hearing range. She hoped that it was business and not Katherine. However, she doubted that the woman would be bothering them for a while. It seemed that Enzo's late night visit had been impactful. Of course, Damon hadn't told her about his right hand man's actions. Bonnie had her own ways of getting information.

She sat on the edge of the bed and took time to lotion her body. She was starting to notice changes in her figure that weren't there a few weeks ago. Her body was changing to accommodate the lives growing within her. Everything she was doing was for the benefit of the twins and their older sister. She wouldn't bring them into a world where Giuseppe still drew breath. However, it was more than that. She planned to give her children the world and it started with Velocita. She liked Zach. Bonnie would go as far as to say that she loved her uncle-in-law. He had always been a big part of her life. However, there was no way in hell that she would ever let him be CEO of Velocita. The company was hers and one day it would be for her children. Just as one day, one of her children would become the don of the Salvatore family.

Sarah was not her child by blood but Bonnie had taken the child into her heart from the moment Damon proposed to her. She was the one that insisted on adopting Sarah so that the girl would never doubt her meaning to the woman raising her. She planned to raise Sarah to be as formidable as Sheila had raised her to be. It was a necessity in their world. One day she would marry Julian Mikaelson. He was the future head of the Mikaelson family. Bonnie hoped that Hayley and Elijah were raising him to be a good man…a better man than Damon was. Either way Sarah would need to be strong enough to bear the challenges that came with being the boss' wife.

Whenever Damon left the house, Bonnie knew that one of their enemies might strike him dead. There had been peace for years but it came at a price. The Salvatores and Mikaelsons ruled the streets with an iron fist and made deadly enemies along the way. The people trampled by their powerful families wouldn't stay down forever. As much as Bonnie wanted Giuseppe dead, she feared what was to come. Would their enemies try to take out Damon to destabilize the family? It's what she would do were she in their position. She would target Damon, Ric, and Zach so that there would be no clear successor. Everyone knew that Stefan would never take the top spot. The Salvatore organization would cannibalize itself in the power struggle that followed. Damon knew the risks as well as she did and he was already increasing security on the family. Bonnie hoped that it would be enough.

The caramel skinned beauty dressed in a light blue baby doll dress that hugged her cleavage and then flared out at the waist. Then she applied makeup to cover the bruises on her face. She didn't like the idea of everyone seeing her that way. Only a handful of people had seen the true damage to her face and she planned to keep it that way.

Afterwards she stripped the linens from the bed and carted them down to the laundry room. Her steps slowed when she heard Damon talking to someone in the living room.

Damon stopped talking when he heard Bonnie approach. "Bunny?"

She walked into the room and smiled at Mason Lockwood. She waved, "Hi, Mason. I'm sorry to interrupt. I was on my way to the laundry room and I heard voices."

Mason stood up and said, "Good evening, Mrs. Salvatore."

Damon walked over and pecked her lips. "Let me take these for you. You are supposed to be taking it easy."

"I'm not an invalid but I know arguing with you is pointless. Just put them in the machine. I'll add the detergent."

Damon said, "I'll be right back."

Bonnie asked, "How are Vicki and the kids doing?"

Mason smiled at her. "Oh, they're driving me crazy. I was glad to get a break from them but don't tell, Vick. She's a bit hormonal these days."

Bonnie laughed quietly. "Well, your secret is safe with me."

Mason gave Bonnie an appraising look but it wasn't sexual. It was more a look of concern. His eyes fell onto the Saint Christopher's medal around her neck. He recognized it as being his father's because of the missing chip at the bottom. He removed a scrap of paper with a string of numbers written on it from his pocket. Mason silently slipped it into Bonnie's hand and returned to his seat on the couch.

Bonnie eyed the offshore account number and slipped the paper inside her bra as Damon's footsteps thudded against the hardwood floor. She smiled at Mason and then turned to greet her husband. "I am going to leave you two alone. I need to make the bed."

Damon groaned and slid a hand onto Bonnie's stomach. He said, "Stop it. I'll take care of making the bed. Go relax. Eat something."

She laughed softly and said, "Okay. A tuna sandwich with extra sweet relish and chips does sound pretty good right now."

He wrinkled his nose. "Is that a craving?"

She shrugged. "I don't think so. I just like tuna fish." Bonnie kissed his cheek as she walked out of the room.

Damon shook his head and said, "Women."


	9. Taking The Long Way Home

Alaric sighed deeply as he ended the call with his uncles. Bruno and Giacomo had just finished a sit down meeting in Milazzo. The men had done their best to sway the old stalwarts of the Salvatore family in Damon's favor. Unfortunately, there were still those that doubted his commitment to the operation in Milazzo. Ric had feared that Damon's short-sighted approach to consolidating his power would backfire on them. Giuseppe had eagerly taken advantage of the boy's rare business blunder. Ric understood that his nephew's ties to the old country were weaker than his own were. However, Damon needed the trust and loyalty of the men on both sides of the Atlantic if he wanted to be successful.

Ric knew the only way to make this right was for Damon to have some face time with the capos in Milazzo immediately. His position as Giuseppe's successor needed to be secure before they could kill the old bastard. Just finding him was proving to be challenging. It was as if Giuseppe had disappeared. The whole situation unnerved Ric. He had been his brother's underboss for years. He knew how ruthless Giuseppe could be when his back was up against the wall. If Damon didn't play his cards right, his father would kill him to protect his position as head of the family. Ric was going to do everything in his power to make sure that didn't happen.

He had too many regrets to count where his older brother was concerned. Ric didn't live full-time with Giuseppe until he was a teenager. By that time, he was capable of defending himself against the violent drunk and often did. He tried his best to protect his younger brother and nephews from Giuseppe. However, he ran off the college the moment had had a chance. That act of cowardice made him sick to his stomach til this day. He left those innocent kids to fight for their lives while he was partying in college. Zach had done the very same thing once he graduated from high school. Damon was the only one that decided to live at home while he attended college. He stayed to protect Stefan from Giuseppe.

The older man didn't relish breaking the news to his nephew. Damon wouldn't want to leave his wife and daughter after what happened at the manor. Unfortunately, they didn't have any other options. He took one last drag from his cigarette and then extinguished it in an ashtray. Ric opened the glass-paneled doors that lead into the sitting room. His lips curved into a small smile as he surveyed the room.

Zach, Damon, Stefan, and Mason were watching a football game in the sitting room. Nico was perched on his uncle's knee while he ate potato chips and cheese puffs despite the fact that he had already had dinner and dessert.

"Look! He caught the ball, Zio," Nico exclaimed. He was a blonde hair blue eyed boy with his father's olive colored skin tone. He was Stefan's son but there was no doubt that Nico idolized his uncle.

Damon chuckled and ruffled his nephew's hair. "What position does he play?"

"Uh…tight end?" he asked.

He grabbed a cheese puff from the bowl and chuckled, "That's right, kid. We're going to get you on a football field soon enough. Maybe you'll be a quarterback like your old man was."

He shook his head. "I wanna be like you, Zio."

He smiled. "You want to be a wide receiver, huh? You've got the hands for it."

Stefan rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "Quit trying to steal my son. You might be having one of your own. Besides, Nico will play quarterback if I have anything to say about it."

Mason snorted. "What are the chances of Caroline signing off on that?"

Damon laughed harder at the scowl on his younger brother's face. Everyone knew that Stefan rarely refused Caroline's wishes. Sometimes Damon envied how easily being a husband and a father came to Stefan.

"Care wants to wait until Nico is a little older before we let him start playing full contact sports," Stefan argued. "He's going to stick to t-ball for now."

"It's all for the better. Caroline would tear out of the stands if Nico ever got hurt on the field. You can't come back from that sort of thing in football," Zach snorted.

Ric hated to interrupt. Seeing his nephews and younger brother like this was a stark reminder of what their life could be without Giuseppe looming in the background. He cleared his throat. "We need to talk, Damon."

The younger man lowered the glass of bourbon from his lips and groaned. "Don't say that. I had a good day with my wife. I'm watching the game with my favorite nephew. Can't it wait?"

Stefan groaned. "Don't let Caroline hear you picking favorites."

The elder brother grinned and replied, "He's my namesake. I'm allowed to say that he's my favorite nephew. Besides, I'm sure Tony will be Favorite Nephew 1-A once he can string together coherent sentences and go to the bathroom on his own."

Ric said, "I just finished talking to our uncles, Damon."

Damon grimaced at the expression on Ric's face. He set Nico on the floor and patted him on the back. "Go terrorize Bella and Sarah."

"Okay!" Nico grinned as he ran out of the room.

Ric closed the doors to the sitting room and then sat down on the couch.

Zach sighed and sat up more in his seat. He turned off the television and studied his older brother's expression. He could tell that the conversation hadn't gone well. The only solution to their problem was for Damon to meet with the capos. He was already working the logistics out in his head.

They heard screams from down the hall as Nico undoubtedly did something to scare his twin sister and cousin.

Stefan shook his head but couldn't hide his smile. He tossed a pillow at Damon's face for putting the idea in his son's head.

Damon caught the pillow with a smirk. However, his face sobered as he looked at Ric. "How bad it is, Zio?"

"Honestly, the meeting didn't go as poorly as I originally suspected that it would. Uncle Bruno says that four of the seven capos support you, Damon. That's more than I would have guessed considering how little time you have spent in Milazzo lately. There was also one person on the fence."

Damon ignored his uncle's blatant jab about his decision to focus on the United States. He knew now that was a mistake. He had trusted his father to pave the way for him. In hindsight, he recognized how naïve he had been. Damon should have known that Giuseppe would never retire on his own accord. He was too addicted to the power.

Zach asked, "Who was on the fence?"

"Leo Gianetti. However, one of Leo's daughters is married to a Benedetto boy. He'll more than likely swing our way if Big John supports Damon. We need the support of all seven capos in Milazzo."

Damon asked, "What do I need to do to get them on my side?"

Ric scrubbed at the stumble on his chiseled jaw. "We are going to have to fly out there, Damon."

"When?" he asked.

"Tomorrow?" Ric suggested. He looked at his younger brother for confirmation. The sooner they did this, the better it would be for Damon.

Zach shook his head. "No, we can't leave before next Saturday. We have been invited to the christening of Elijah and Hayley's little boy. And Niklaus is being released from prison tomorrow. He will stand up as the baby's godfather during the ceremony. There's no way all of the Salvatores can miss something like that without raising red flags from a lot of people."

Alaric frowned and replied, "I had completely forgotten about the christening and Niklaus' homecoming party. You're right, Zach. The alliance between the families is too important. We can't risk offending Elijah. We will leave next Monday, but that means we need to fly home before Thanksgiving. We are going to need to leave here in the next couple of days, Damon."

The younger man put his head in his hands because he already knew that. However, he didn't relish having this conversation with his wife and daughter. He didn't know how he could ask them to go back to the manor after what happened. Damon also didn't feel comfortable leaving them in Shadow Hills. His wife and daughter belonged under his roof. He took out his phone and started writing a text message to Rose.

Rose had flown back to Los Angeles a few days ago. He needed her at Velocita while he was here with his family. She knew how to keep things running at the company in his absence. Rose was perhaps the most overqualified assistant in the world. She had graduated from business school, too. However, she worked for Damon because he didn't trust anyone else. She was well compensated for being so overqualified for her job.

"What are you doing?" Ric asked.

"Telling Rose that I am going to need three puppies instead of two and maybe a bird, too. Sarah likes birds," he muttered in reply.

Ric looked at Mason for a moment. He had been mentoring the kid for years. He wanted Mason to take over as underboss when he finally made the decision to retire. Ric was in his early 40's so it wasn't as if he was planning to hang it up anytime soon. However, Bruno had mentored him for over a decade before he replaced him as Giuseppe's underboss.

He nodded in Mason's direction and said, "You're coming with us to Milazzo. It's time to start getting your feet wet."

The younger man was surprised but nodded in understanding at Ric's order. Mason had started out in his older brother's crew. However, Alaric had quickly recognized his talents. He made Mason his de facto second in command when he was all of 26 years old.

Damon nodded in agreement. Mason was a couple years older than he was. However, they had been friends for most of their lives. The Lockwood family had a long history with the Salvatore organization. The connection between the two families stretched back to Damon and Mason's great-great-grandfathers, Giovanni Salvatore and Giacobbe Loiacono. The pair had grown up together in Milazzo.

Damon asked, "How close are you to the Loiaconos still over there?"

He said, "Close enough. Brady, Tyler, and I go with my brother when he visits every year. I'd be surprised if my family was among the ones that didn't back you."

Ric smiled, "No, Dante was one of the capos that pledged his loyalty to Damon going forward."

Zach asked, "When should we fly home?"

Damon groaned and said, "We'll head back to L.A. on Tuesday morning. I want to give Bonnie and Sarah one last day here. They deserve that."

Ric said, "They can always stay with Jo and the girls if they don't feel safe in the manor while we're gone, Damon."

He shook his head. "I'll talk to Bonnie in a bit and see where her head is on this."

"Well, let me know if there is anything that I can do," he replied. He motioned for Zach to follow him out of the room. They needed to put their heads together on finding Giuseppe. They knew all the places their older brother liked to hide out when he wanted time away from the family. It was time to start kicking over every rock.

Stefan had remained silent throughout the conversation because he didn't have a place in this. He was the baby brother and the numbers person. They always kept him in the loop information wise but he didn't get to offer input. Stefan was a made man because Giuseppe required it of him. However, Damon was the one that finished off the man Stefan had been ordered to kill. His brother was always protecting him and carrying his burdens. He owed Damon more than he would ever be able to repay. He had been thinking of taking a more substantial role in the family. Now seemed as a good a time as any to make the first move.

Mason noted the look on Stefan's face and decided to give the two brothers the room.

Damon looked up from his phone and realized that Stefan was the only one left in the room. He could tell that something was wrong with his brother. "What is it? You're wearing your brooding face again."

"I want to go with you," he answered quickly.

The elder of the two brothers lifted an eyebrow. "No."

"Why not?" Stefan asked.

Damon stuffed his phone into his pocket and regarded his younger brother carefully. He asked, "Why do you want to go with us to Milazzo, Stefan?"

Stefan said, "Because I'm a Salvatore, too. I should be helping you take him down. I'm not a little boy anymore, Damon. I don't need protecting."

He stood up and squeezed his brother's shoulder. "I appreciate the offer but I don't want you involved in all of this. You worry about the books and leave everything else to us, Stef."

"Damon…"

He sat on the coffee table so that he was face to face with Stefan. He said, "I'm not mad at you for what happened with Bonnie. It wasn't your fault."

"That's not what this is about."

"Then explain it to me, brother. You have never had an interest in this thing of ours. I respected that and come hell or high water I made Giuseppe respect it, too."

Stefan looked down at the floor. "I know…but things are different now. You're going to be the boss. I should be there watching your back the way that you have always watched mine, Damon. I owe you."

Damon blinked in surprise but then shook his head. He grasped his brother's face in both hands. "You don't owe me anything, Stefan. The things I did were because I love you. You are my little brother and it is my job to protect you. I don't expect repayment…and certainly not in this way. If you want help me, then stay in Los Angeles. I need you to make sure that our people in the medical examiner's office will play ball with Giuseppe's body when the time comes. Pay whoever needs paying. Take Brady with you to intimidate whoever needs intimidating. That is how you can help me, little brother."

The younger man's shoulders slumped in acceptance. He nodded dutifully. "I'll take care of it, Damon."

"Thank you." Damon patted his brother's cheek affectionately before standing. He shook his head as he walked out of the room. He couldn't fathom what Stefan was thinking.

He walked upstairs to the master bedroom. It was time to break the news to his wife and daughter.

Damon found Bonnie and Sarah sitting in the middle of the king sized bed. They were dressed in matching _Frozen_ pajamas. He didn't even know they made them in adult sizes. The cartoon playing on the tablet enthralled the little girl. Meanwhile, Bonnie was slowly taming Sarah's long curly hair into two neat French braids.

He quietly closed the door behind him. "What are you watching, bambolina?"

Sarah looked up with a grin. " _Loud House._ It's my favorite show."

"Yeah?" he asked. Damon sat down on the bed.

She nodded. "I wish I had a bunch of sisters like Lincoln does."

Bonnie laughed.

Damon lifted and eyebrow with his wife. "What's so funny about that?"

"How many sisters does Lincoln have, bambolina?" Bonnie asked in an amused voice.

"Ten!" Sarah beamed up at her father as she rattled off the names of all 11 Loud children.

Damon's eyes widened comically and he said, "Yeah that's not happening. Papa would go insane with 11 daughters. I would have to start my very own convent for all of you on a deserted island. We'd call you the Holy Salvatore Sisters."

She giggled. "You're silly, Papa."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. Damon watched as Bonnie finished braiding Sarah's hair. "You look beautiful."

"Really?" Sarah asked.

Bonnie picked up a hand held mirror and moved it in front of Sarah. "See for yourself."

Sarah's smiled brightly at her reflection. "Thank you, Mama."

"You're welcome."

Damon knew delaying the inevitable wouldn't change their circumstances. "There is something I needed to talk about with the two of you. You know Thanksgiving is only a couple days away. I was thinking it would be a good idea if we went home Tuesday."

Bonnie's expression remained neutral. She had expected them to return home before the holiday. However, it seemed as if Damon had other plans before tonight. She wondered what had changed his mind. She nodded. "Okay."

Sarah's smile faded and she burrowed closer to Bonnie.

Damon reached for Sarah. "Bambolina…"

"I don't wanna go home," she whispered. "Something bad is gonna happen."

He swallowed thickly as he tried to push down his anger. He shook his head. "Nothing bad is going to happen. I promise but we have to go home."

"You said that we could stay here," Sarah argued in a timid voice.

Damon said, "I know that I said that we could stay here but we need to go home, bambolina. I'm sure your cousins miss you. Don't you miss them, too?"

Sarah nodded a little. Her voice trembled as she said, "But I'm scared…"

Bonnie's heart broke listening to Sarah.

"There is nothing to be scared of, baby. I promise."

"Grandpa is gonna hurt Mama again," Sarah blurted out as tears slid down her cheeks.

Damon was speechless for a moment. It was one thing to know what his daughter witnessed. It was another thing to hear it in her words.

Bonnie picked up Sarah and hugged her. She shushed her softly. "It's okay. He's not going to hurt me."

Damon's heart tightened in his chest while he listened to his daughter cry. It was the most helpless feeling in the world to know that he couldn't fix this. Sarah would continue to remember that night long after Giuseppe was dead.

He moved closer and wrapped his arms around Bonnie and Sarah. "I am so sorry that you saw Grandpa hurting your mom. It wasn't very nice of him. He's very sorry that he hurt her and that he scared you. That's why he decided to go away for awhile. He's not going to be there. I promise, bambolina. Do you believe me?"

Sarah buried her face into the side of Bonnie's neck as she cried.

Bonnie smoothed her hand over Sarah's back and murmured quietly against her ear. "It's okay."

Damon opened his mouth to say something but was silenced with a look from Bonnie.

"Papa will be home with us this time. He won't let anything bad happen to me or you. Uncle Stefan and Uncle Zach will be there, too. We are going to have such a big and yummy Thanksgiving dinner. I bet Nonna Abby will be there, too."

Sarah sniffled. "And Cooper?"

Bonnie nodded. "Well, Nonna can't come to Thanksgiving without Cooper."

Sarah whispered, "But what if Grandpa comes back?"

"Then we'll come back here," Bonnie said. "Just me and you."

Damon wanted to object but couldn't find the words. His daughter was scared to be in the one place that was always supposed to be her safe haven. He had failed her in a way that she didn't yet understand. However, Damon knew that she would one day. He remembered the precise moment when he lost faith in Lilly. He wasn't going to let history repeat itself.


	10. Mama, I'm In Love With A Criminal

While Damon had his pied-à-terre at the Rischard, Bonnie had a little place of her own outside the city. She wisely sold the majority of Sheila's real estate holdings after her death. However, she chose to keep a handful of places that held special meaning such as the Shadow Hills estate, the villa in Monaco, and their compound in Milazzo. Bonnie also chose to keep a beach house located 30 minutes from the Salvatore Manor. It was her own little Shangri-La when her home life became too suffocating. Today it would also serve the purpose of hosting a clandestine meeting with her mother. Since a staff of 20 people worked full-time at the manor, there was never truly any privacy there.

Before Bonnie could meet with her mother, she had to get away from Damon. Fortunately, Lucy was waiting for them in the airport's bar when the plane landed. The older woman's flight had arrived perhaps an hour before theirs did. Bonnie told Damon that she needed to spend some time with her older cousin. They hadn't seen each other in months and there was a lot they needed to discuss. It was obvious that Damon didn't like the idea of letting Bonnie out of his sight. However, he reluctantly agreed as long as they allowed two bodyguards to shadow them.

The young woman's first order of business was to do a little shopping. She needed to buy a christening gift for Hayley and Elijah's little boy, Erik. She also wanted to get a little Christmas shopping done. Spending three weeks in Shadow Hills had thrown off all of Bonnie's holiday plans. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve were always big productions for the Salvatore family. As the lady of the house, it was Bonnie's responsibility to ensure the holidays went off without a hitch. The entire family was on pins and needles because of Giuseppe. However, they would have to maintain appearances for the outside world.

Bonnie and Lucy went Christmas shopping with Sarah in tow. However, Bonnie had to make sure that her makeup was flawless. Damon and Bonnie's relationship was a popular topic in the tabloids. She really didn't want to make the gossip rags for the wrong reasons. Everyone would immediately assume that Damon was abusing her. She didn't even want that theory out there because it would be too hard to refute. Damon already had a reputation with the tabloids because of his misspent youth. He had been dubbed a reckless playboy. Moreover, his violent tendencies had been well documented in the past. Damon had made a concerted effort to change all of that since he married Bonnie.

After putting Sarah down for a nap, Bonnie settled down in the living room. She decided to wrap the gifts she had purchased that morning. Frankly, it was just a poor attempt to distract her worried mind. Earlier in the morning, she learned that Niklaus Mikaelson had been released from prison. He was a wild card that Bonnie absolutely did not need right now. She could only hope that he had forgotten about her during his five-year incarceration.

Lucy walked out of the kitchen with a sterling silver tea set. She placed it on the coffee table in front of Bonnie. "Are you sure that I can't get you anything to eat?"

She shook her head. "No, my morning sickness isn't doing me any favors right now. I am just going to keep nibbling on these crackers and hope they settle my stomach. Thank you for brewing the tea."

She waved her younger cousin off. "You need to take it easy. I saw the way you were flexing your wrist while you were wrapping those gifts. You're still in pain."

"It's getting better," she promised.

"There's no need to be a martyr, Bonnie. No one is going to think that you are weak for taking it easy for few weeks. And if someone does say something about it I will bitch slap them," she sassed.

Bonnie knew the comment was a thinly veiled shot at her husband. Lucy wasn't known for having a forgiving nature. She blamed Damon for what happened to Bonnie. "Damon has been trying to get me to stay in bed but I am fine. The worst of my injuries have already healed."

Lucy frowned because she still didn't like the fact that Bonnie had concealed her situation for nearly two weeks. In fact, her cousin had only called to tell her about the assault when it became obvious that Rose suspected what happened to her. By most standards, she and Bonnie were merely distant cousins. Their grandmothers were sisters, but that didn't mean much for the Benedetto family. They were also close to the grandchildren of their grandmothers' cousins. One of Hannah's enduring lessons had been the importance of family. It was how she kept the family close knit even after her son, Daniel, moved to Italy. They all gathered at the estate in Shadow Hills for a family reunion each year.

"I've been thinking that I might stick around through the end of the year."

"Won't your nana be expecting you home for Thanksgiving and Christmas?" Bonnie asked.

She shrugged and sat down. "She'll get over it. Trust me. There are enough grandchildren and great-grandchildren to keep her occupied. I'm needed here…at least until Giuseppe is handled. Even if he stays in Milazzo past Thanksgiving, you know that he will be home in time for Christmas."

The girl nodded in agreement. Giuseppe would wait to come home until he thought it had all blown over. "I won't make the same mistake twice. I let my guard down and I shouldn't have done that. I knew that something was off the moment Giuseppe came home that afternoon. Damon thinks his absence set his father off but I'm not so sure. He was in a mood and I think he was just looking for a punching bag…I just happened to be there."

"Don't make excuses for that motherfucker," Lucy snapped.

Bonnie gave a humorless laugh. "I'm not making excuses for Giuseppe. I am only saying that I didn't protect myself. Grams taught me better than that. I'll never put myself in a situation like that again."

"Well, I am staying anyway. Am I invited to Thanksgiving dinner?"

"Of course you are invited to dinner, fool. You might as well stay at the house if you are going to be in town. I hate that we haven't been able to spend more time together."

Lucy opened her mouth to say something but stopped short when she heard a door closing in the distance. She drew the gun she always kept tucked into the holster situated on her hip.

Mason walked into the room and waved. "It's only me. Calm down, Stable Mable."

Lucy growled and said, "I nearly shot you, boy."

He chuckled. "I'm sorry. I came in through the backdoor because I know Damon has two guards posted out front."

She slowly eased the gun back into the holster. Lucy sucked her teeth and muttered, "Asshole."

"I love you too, Luce," Mason taunted.

She flipped him the bird and rolled her eyes.

Bonnie looked at him expectantly. "Tell me you have good news. She should be here soon."

"I was able to confirm that he bought a place for her out in Huntington Beach. She has been living there since the start of the school year. He's been spending a couple of nights a week there with her and the kids."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "At least she's actually got the boys in school."

Bonnie pushed down the hurt of learning that her mother had been less than 20 minutes away from her for months. She had to remind herself that right now this woman wasn't her mother. Abby was merely a means to an end. She said, "Finally, her monumental selfishness will work for me."

Lucy stood when she saw a car pull up in front of the house. She said, "That will be Abby."

Mason said, "I'll head upstairs and make myself scarce."

Lucy watched as he quickly climbed the stairs. She might have also been admiring his toned backside. Then she turned to her younger cousin. "Do you want me to stick around for the conversation?"

Bonnie shook her head and smiled. "No, I'll handle my mother. I need you to make that call to Uncle Johnny. I want eyes on Giuseppe while he is in Milazzo. I want to know everything he is doing."

"I don't see why we can't just tell Uncle Johnny what he did to you. He is brave to brutalize you and then conduct business with our kin. Uncle Johnny would skin him alive if he knew the truth."

She understood Lucy's fury at Giuseppe's audacity. Bonnie felt it too but involving their family would take matters out of her hands. She just couldn't afford to do that right now. There was too much at stake. "Giuseppe is going to get what he deserves, Lucy. However, I need to know that Damon is the man I believe him to be. "

The older woman nodded in understanding. She trusted that Bonnie knew what she was doing. However, Lucy planned to be there to keep her safe just in case things went off the rails.

Bonnie took out her compact and studied her reflection. She had cleaned the makeup from her face after they made it to the beach house. She needed to use her healing bruises to elicit guilt from her mother.

Lucy opened the front door and smiled at her older cousin. "Hey, cuz."

Abby hugged her. "Hey. It's so good seeing you. We need to catch up."

"It's good seeing you, too. It's been too long since we've seen each other. Maybe we can get drinks later tonight. I'm just about to head out."

"Drinks tonight sounds great, Lucy. I'll call you with a time."

"Great! Bonnie is waiting for you in the living room."

"Are you going to tell me what's going on? You dragged me half way across the country without so much as an explanation. Is everything okay?"

Lucy held her tongue because she knew that Abby was lying. However, it wasn't her place to call her older cousin out. Bonnie would do that in her own time. She hugged her. "Just go talk to your daughter. She needs you right now."

Abby removed her sunglasses with a frown as she watched Lucy walk out to her car. She closed the door and then locked it behind her. Then she walked into the living room. Abby froze in the middle of the room when her eyes fell onto her daughter. She dropped her purse and glasses onto the floor as she rushed to Bonnie's side. "Who did this to you? Damon? I'll kill him."

"Sit down, Mom. Have some tea with me," Bonnie suggested. She picked up the sterling silver teapot and poured a cup for Abby. "It's Darjeeling…your favorite."

"No, I won't just sit down and have a cup of tea. Someone beat the shit out of my daughter and I want to know who did it. I know that you think that I am a peace loving hippie but not at the expense of my oldest girl. Now you tell me who did this to you, Bonnie Sheila Bennett."

Bonnie was warmed by her mother's genuine concern. She said, "Sit down, Mom. You had a long flight and there is much to discuss. I promise that I will explain everything."

Abby slowly sat down on the couch and looked at Bonnie expectantly. She had no delusions about her track record as a mother. However, she sincerely loved her daughter. "Please, just tell me that this wasn't Damon."

Bonnie picked up her cup of tea and shook her head. "No, my husband isn't a wife batterer. He wasn't even home when this happened."

The elder Bennett woman added sugar to the cup and slowly stirred the steaming brew. "What happened?"

"Did you get the money that Lucy wired you?"

She huffed. "Yes, but I don't understand what it is for. Or what it has to do with why you look like this."

"Giuseppe attacked me three weeks ago while Damon was away. These bruises you see are courtesy of him."

Abby nearly splashed tea on her hand when she began to tremble. She placed the cup on the table. Dozens of thoughts raced through her head. She now understood some of the strange happenings in the last week. However, her heart broke for her daughter and herself. Abby had always loved Giuseppe as a father but she knew of his demons. She had hoped that they would never be visited upon her daughter. "Did he force himself on you?"

Bonnie shook her head. "He tried but I was able to convince him to stop. Anyway, the following morning he hopped a flight to Milazzo. No one knows where he is right now. On the matter of the money, I need a favor from you. If you agree to this favor I will match what Lucy wired to you last week."

"You don't have to pay me to help you, Bonnie. You are my daughter. Just tell me what you need and I will do it," Abby promised.

The girl laughed. "You'll have to excuse me if I am not inclined to take you at your word. The last time that you did anything useful for me is when Dr. Fleischman cut me from your womb. I prefer for this to be a business arrangement, Mother."

She tensed upon hearing her daughter's cold assessment. It wasn't accurate but debating the point would get her nowhere. She asked, "What do you need?"

"How close are you to Alaric?"

Abby adjusted her position on the couch and picked up her teacup. She realized that her daughter was a great deal like Sheila. She wouldn't ask a question that she didn't already know the answer to. She said, "We have always been close. What does this have to do with Ric?"

"I am pregnant with twins and I am raising Sarah as my own flesh and blood. In good conscience, I cannot raise them in the same house with that monster. I want Giuseppe dead, not exiled to Milazzo. I believe that my husband is leaning in that direction but I am concerned about the others. Damon won't discuss business with me. He believes that I am too delicate. However, I was hoping that your relationship with Alaric would be different. Maybe you could find out what they are thinking. Perhaps you could even whisper in his ear."

Abby went through a myriad of emotions as she listened to her daughter speak. She was wracked with guilt for not being a bigger part of Bonnie's life when she was younger. She had tried to be there for her since Sheila's death but their relationship had highs and lows. "I'm going to be a grandmother again?"

Bonnie nodded. "I was going to tell you but everything got so out of hand.'

The older woman gave a wistful smile. "I can't believe it. I mean my baby is going to have a baby—two babies."

She smiled a little. "I'm not a baby anymore, Mom. Jamie, Cooper, and Savannah are your babies now."

Abby said, "I don't care that you are an adult now. It doesn't matter that my mother raised you. You will always be my baby, Bonnie. I carried you for 36 weeks. I sat beside your incubator for hours on end just waiting for the doctors to let me hold you in my arms."

"Will you do this for me?" she asked. Bonnie had no need for sentimentality. This was business.

She nodded. "You didn't need to pay me for this, Bonnie. I would run that bastard over with my car if it meant keeping you and those children safe. I'll have Alaric meet me at our place tonight to talk. I'll call you when I know anything."

Bonnie picked up a burner phone and handed it to Abby. "There is one number saved in the phone. Call it whenever you have information."

Abby took the phone and tucked it into her pocket. She asked, "Are you okay? Truly?"

"I am bruised but I will heal. This will help me heal faster."

She nodded. Abby took a sip of tea and asked, "How did you know about Alaric and me? We are careful at all times. He has a family after all."

"Grams made sure that I had all the tools necessary if this situation ever arose. However, I knew about you and Alaric since I was 13 years old. I walked in on the two of you in the wine cellar at the manor."

Abby looked away as a feeling of embarrassment washed over her. "Then you know about your siblings?"

The boys were Bonnie's twelve and six year old half brothers. Her half-sister, Savannah, was just two years old. She nodded and said, "I do."

"And you haven't said anything. Why?"

Bonnie said, "I'm vindictive but not petty. Exposing your relationship with Ric would only hurt my siblings and his other kids. If Jo is smart, then she knows about you. If she doesn't know, then it certainly isn't my place to tell her. Besides, if I told the truth Ric might do something stupid like break up with you. You're more useful to me as his mistress."

Abby bit her tongue and nodded. "I know what you must think of me but Ric and I…"

She waved her off. "I'm not judging you for being with Ric. It isn't really any of my business. I'm just glad that you are happy. You are happy, right?"

She licked her lips nervously and confessed, "I am. We bought a house in Huntington Beach. He wanted us live closer to each other. Ric was tired of only seeing us once or twice a month."

"That makes sense. Infidelity aside, Ric is a good father. I am glad that he's spending more time with the kids. They need their father."

Abby was shocked. She expected Bonnie to get angry. However, she realized that her daughter likely already knew the truth. She was Sheila's granddaughter all over. "Speaking of fathers, you should tell yours what happened."

Bonnie laughed. "I barely wanted to tell you and you've been more active in my life than he has. I have no interest in speaking to Rudy. If he ever decides to pick up the phone, then maybe I will consider it."

The older woman opened her mouth to speak.

Bonnie threw up a hand to stop her. "Please, don't launch into a pro-Rudy lecture. I haven't seen him since my wedding four years ago."

She huffed. "I have never been pro-Rudy, even when I was married to the bastard. But he is your father and he would want to know that you're hurt. He would want to know that you are pregnant. I would want to know if our roles were reversed."

"You are a different case, Mom. You are not mother of the year by any stretch of the imagination but you at least try. I see you during summer and the holidays. You actually make an effort to call me every week. Sure, you have been lying about where you are living but I am willing to chalk that up to hiding your affair. You're always sending me pictures of the kids. We might not have a traditional mother/daughter relationship but is more than I have with Rudy."

Abby knew she was fighting a losing battle. "Okay. How is Sarah doing?"

Bonnie relaxed once Abby dropped the subject. She smiled at the mention of Sarah. "Oh, she's doing great. She is so smart, Mom. She is really enjoying being homeschooled with her cousins. She is interested in ballet, too. I've been thinking I might take her to a few classes to see if she really wants to learn."

The love of dance was perhaps the one thing Abby had in common with her daughter. Abby had danced professionally for years before moving onto choreography. "Maybe you and Sarah could come visit me and the children sometimes. I mean now that you know the truth about me and Ric."

The girl was always cautious where Abby was concerned. She knew better than to ever get her hopes up. "Really?"

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I live here now and I'd like to spend more time with you and Sarah."

She said, "I'd like that, Mom."

"Does she know that you're pregnant?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Damon and I thought it was better to wait until I start showing more. We figured it would be easier for her to understand once there's a physical difference to see."

Abby smiled. "That's what I did with Jamie. I waited until he started asking questions. He called me fat when I was pregnant with Cooper, rude little thing."

She laughed quietly. "Kids are definitely blunt, that's for sure."

"How are things with you and Damon? I mean…outside of the obvious difficulties."

Bonnie's eyebrows rose at that. "We're happy."

Abby said, "I just…what happened is cause for divorce under the prenuptial agreement. If you were ever looking for a way out, now is the time. There is no shame in admitting that something isn't working."

"I love him, Mom."

The older woman nodded. "I know. You always have but I never wanted you to marry Damon. The Salvatores are like an infection. I argued with your grams for days when she told me about the engagement."

Bonnie stiffened. "That's a strange stance from a woman dating a Salvatore."

Abby chose her words carefully. "And it's not without its struggles, Bonnie. I never wanted this for you. I wanted you to be free. I didn't want you to end up the boss's wife. I witnessed firsthand how toxic the love of a Salvatore could be. Your grams suffered for the love of Giuseppe."

She relaxed when she realized that Abby's concern was genuine. "Damon isn't Giuseppe. I witnessed her suffering, too. I'll never be able to forget it. Nevertheless, freedom means different things to different people, Mom. For you, freedom meant traveling the world without a soul to question your actions. For me, freedom means power and influence. I know that I could divorce Damon and take half the company but I'd much rather have the whole thing and my husband."

"That's an admirable goal but sometimes life has a way of knocking the wind out of us when we least expect it. If you are happy with Damon, then I am happy for you." Abby looked down at the ring on her finger. It was a symbol of Alaric's commitment to her and it was worthless.

Bonnie watched the emotions playing over her mother's face. "I can see that you are worried for me but I don't understand why. Damon would never hurt me."

"Physical violence isn't the only way that someone can hurt you, Bonnie. I know that I haven't been a good mother. I probably don't even have a right to say this but I love you too much to stay silent. You are a smart young woman. You are smart enough to know what your husband gets up to in his spare time. I just want you to be realistic about your situation. Damon is never going to change. He's a selfish man-child just like his uncle is. You want power and influence but there will be a cost. At 21-years-old, it might not seem like a very steep price. But I assure you the weight of it compounds over time. I never want you to get to the breaking point like I did with your father. The good thing about Alaric is that I can walk away at anytime. It'll hurt but I am free."

She grasped her mother's hands and said, "I love Damon with all of my heart. But I am not a fool. I know that my husband is a lying philanderer. I know that he is having an affair with Katherine Pierce. I also know that he is seeing a local news anchor on the side as well. After four years of marriage, I was finally honest with him about my true feelings. Now the ball is in his court. However, I would never be so naïve as to not have a way out of this marriage. If the day comes where I need to leave Damon it will be with my three children and my business. That actually brings me to the other reason that I had Lucy wire that money to you."

Abby felt the tightness in her chest loosen after listening to Bonnie. She was relieved that her daughter didn't view Damon through rose-colored glasses. "What else did you want me to do?"

Bonnie picked up a file folder and placed it in front of Abby. "This is a list of our family members and trusted associates that have the proper education and experience to run Velocita. Some of them used to work for BTS and stayed on after the merger. I need to know which ones I can trust."

Abby was rendered speechless for a few seconds. She opened the folder and skimmed the list of names. She quickly recognized that the people on the list had been in executive positions in BTS before the merger. They would be the perfect group to help Bonnie execute a successful boardroom coup. She looked up at her daughter with a proud smile.

"I understand if you don't feel comfortable doing this because of your relationship with Ric. I won't hold a grudge if you decide to refuse. I can try to test the waters some other way."

"My relationship with Ric doesn't change the fact that I am always a Benedetto, Bunny. I haven't spilled any of our family's secrets simply because he shares my bed and I won't start now."

Bonnie smiled. "Thank you, Mom."

Abby picked up a pen and jotted down a few family members that would jump at the chance to sabotage the Salvatores. "I don't need thanks. This is like my grandmother's last big fuck you to Domenico. She hated that racist asshole. I'm sure he is turning over in his grave. A Benedetto will be running Velocita and one day a Benedetto will be the boss of the Salvatore family. It won't mean a thing that your future son will carry the Salvatore name…it'll be Benedetto blood that runs through his veins."

Bonnie eyed the names that Abby added to the list. She knew then that reaching out to her mother had been the right decision. Abby's relationships with her first and second cousins would prove useful. She knew them much better than Bonnie and Lucy did.

Abby's phone rang. She stood and walked across to pick up the purse that she had dropped earlier. Abby pulled out her phone and said, "This is Ric. I should take this."

Bonnie nodded. "Okay."

Abby disappeared into the kitchen to get some privacy.

Bonnie could hear her mother's raised voice from the kitchen. She could only assume that Abby was ripping Ric a new one for not telling her about Giuseppe.

A few minutes later, she marched out of the kitchen. She picked up the folder Bonnie had placed on the table and tucked it into her purse. "I'm sorry to run but Ric is going to meet me at home. We'll talk soon, baby girl."

She nodded. "Okay."

 **Abby kissed Bonnie's cheek and then dashed out the front door.**


	11. The Loyalty Of The Soldier Is Proved

A **_normal_** life was never in the cards for Bonnie. She was the matriarch's oldest granddaughter. Therefore, at some point she would have been married off to secure an alliance with one of the West Coast's major crime families. However, the marriage would have occurred when she was older and more prepared. Unfortunately, Abby's decision to marry and then divorce a civilian had sealed Bonnie's fate when she was 3 years old. It became her duty to ensure the survival of their family.

Bonnie's earliest memory was kneeling in a puddle of blood as the most important man in her life bled to death. She could remember the acrid smell of gunpowder as the getaway car's tires squealed against the rain slick road. On some nights, her great uncle's lifeless hazel eyes still turned her dreams into nightmares. That fateful day, she learned that the price of having everything was blood.

Bonnie had received the best education that money could buy from private tutors. However, Sheila taught her the most important lessons. She learned about the proud history of the Benedetto family—both legal and illegal. Sheila taught Bonnie how to maneuver in a world that would always underestimate her. In fact, her grandmother believed that the underworld's misogyny could be her greatest tool. Bonnie could manipulate the pieces on the chessboard to her benefit while the men simply ignored her presence. Moving in the shadows allowed her great-grandmother Emily to sway a man that once upon a time would have died to protect the Salvatore family. Now that man's descendants would gladly slaughter Giuseppe's sons and brothers for Bonnie.

Too many of the up and coming criminal organizations ran as if they were a corporation. However, what they lost sight of was the sense of family that should bind their members together. Money and fear weren't adequate motivation when men were faced with death or lengthy imprisonment. The people allowed into the Salvatore organization's innermost circle had deep roots that spanned back to the old country. To betray the Salvatore family would be to betray their own blood and their family's legacy. It wouldn't be a decision they arrived at lightly.

Outward appearances would lead people to believe that the men of the Lockwood family were the Salvatore organization's most loyal soldiers. Giovanni Salvatore and Giacobbe Loiacono had been boyhood friends in Milazzo. However, they lost touch when the Salvatore family immigrated to the United States in the early 1900's. The family settled in California where Giovanni and his two younger brothers opened a string of illegal gambling halls and brothels. However, everything changed at the start of Prohibition.

Giovanni saw an opportunity to capitalize on the government's sudden morality. He wanted to expand his organization into bootlegging. However, he needed more men. Giovanni sent his younger brother back to Milazzo to recruit men they could trust. Giacobbe was among the first men recruited. Giovanni paid the fee for the man's family to immigrate to the United States with him. His family changed their last name to Lockwood because of the Immigration Act of 1924. The act restricted immigration from southern European countries. Giacobbe was grateful to Giovanni for helping get his family out of Milazzo during a perilous time. He swore an oath of loyalty to his childhood friend and kept it until his death.

The bond shared between Giovanni and Giacobbe was passed down to their respective sons, Niccolo and Georgio. When the widower, Georgio, went to prison for murder, Niccolo Salvatore took in his children. He had two sons named Alonzo and Mauricio. The boss and his wife already had three sons, Domenico, Bruno, and Giacomo. However, he treated the two boys as if they were his own flesh and blood.

Domenico and Alonzo were as thick as thieves into adulthood. Everyone believed that Alonzo would become consigliere when Domenico took over for his father. However, jealousy and male pride derailed those plans and forced a wedge between the two men. They both fell in love with a young woman named Rosemary. She chose Alonzo but Domenico petitioned his father to arrange a marriage between them. Niccolo didn't like the move but convinced Alonzo that it was better for the family in the long run. Rosemary's family had powerful political ties back East that could be useful to them.

Domenico married Rosemary but grew bitter when he realized that she would never love him. His jealousy further corrupted his already tattered relationship with Alonzo. When Niccolo died, Domenico chose his brother, Giacomo, to be his consigliere. The move caused a rift in the organization. Many of their high-ranking capos thought that he was being short-sighted.

Domenico realized his mistake because his younger brother was inexperienced and unprepared for the job. However, he couldn't look weak in front of the organization. As the tension built, Alonzo was arrested for manslaughter. He was guilty but the timing was suspicious. The arrest stemmed from an incident that happened three years prior. However, an eyewitness miraculously appeared to testify against him. Alonzo thought Domenico was responsible for his predicament but could never prove it.

Alonzo's wife and his young sons were destitute during his incarceration. They had to move to Puyallup, WA to stay with some distant relatives on the wife's side of the family. Sheila's mother, Emily, saw an opportunity to gain a foothold within the Salvatore's organization. She wasn't fond of Domenico. He had been a good friend to her family for decades until she married a Black Creole man from Louisiana. Suddenly, Domenico didn't want to socialize with her family—their interactions became strictly business related. Emily was a pragmatist and she wasn't going to turn away money. Her family did business with many people who were prejudice but she hadn't considered any of them to be true friends the way Domenico had once been.

Emily quietly supported Alonzo's family for the twelve years he spent in prison. She also made sure that his sons went to the best private schools in the city. Alonzo understood that Emily's assistance would come at a price once he finished his prison sentence. He willingly became Emily's inside man in Domenico's organization.

Fortunately, the don felt guilty for his role in Alonzo's incarceration. He eagerly welcomed his foster brother back into the organization and his family. Alonzo hid his resentment well. He systematically worked his way to being Domenico's most trusted confidante again. All the while, he reported to Emily and helped her install more moles into the Salvatore organization. Nearly forty years later, Emily's investment was still paying dividends for her great-granddaughter.

Mason walked downstairs and asked, "Can I take it from your smile that the meeting with Mommy Dearest was a success?"

Bonnie's smile brightened. "And then some. Who knew she loved me quite so much? I have you to thank for this, Mason. I knew that my mother used to have a relationship with Ric. However, I wouldn't have known that it was ongoing without the information from you."

He smiled as he sat down across from the couch. "As always, I am at your service, Bonnie. My loyalty and that of my family will always be to the Benedetto family."

Bonnie said, "I can't express how much your support means to me. I appreciate everything that your family has done for me since Grams died. If not for all of you, I would be completely alone here in Los Angeles. Giuseppe went out of his way to isolate me from my family after I married Damon."

Mason's eyes darkened at the mention of Giuseppe. He had watched helplessly as the man had assumed control of the American side of the Benedettos' arms smuggling operation following Sheila's death. The very people meant to protect Bonnie now worked for the man that could hurt her the most. Unfortunately, Mason's fears had been realized when he attacked the girl at her most vulnerable.

"My father made a promise to Miss Emily. He might be long gone now but we will continue to pay our debt to your family."

Bonnie looked down at the mention of Alonzo Lockwood. Alonzo and her great-uncle had been killed protecting her and Stefan from a hail of gunfire. They had been ambushed while leaving a wedding in Milazzo. It was a hit meant to assassinate Sheila, Giuseppe, and Big John. The attempt ultimately failed and the men responsible had suffered greatly before they were given the mercy of death.

"I'm sorry. I don't think that I've ever said that to you," she replied.

Mason reached out and squeezed Bonnie's hand. "My father died 16 years ago, Bonnie. An apology from you is not necessary. My father gladly gave his life for the Benedetto family just as I would."

Bonnie forced a small smile. She said, "Well, don't go falling on your sword just yet. You are invaluable to me inside the Salvatore organization. You becoming Alaric's second in command is fortuitous."

He nodded in agreement. "It is as if Miss Emily was planning for this moment from the very beginning. She spent years cultivating the perfect assets within the organization. Miss Sheila doubled those efforts when you were a little girl. Your marriage to Damon was a long time coming. Those women had a plan for every contingency."

"It's the best way to make sure you aren't caught with your skirt round your ankles." She went quiet for a minute and then said, "I do have another favor to ask of you, Mason."

"Ask away," he replied.

Bonnie said, "I want you to subtly explore just how many of our people are still loyal to me. I have still been paying for their services despite not calling upon them. However, that may change in the near future."

Mason sat up straighter after hearing Bonnie's request. "I'll get into it starting today. I'll suss them out and kill anyone that has forgotten to whom they answer."

She was glad that the older man understood what needed to happen without elaboration. "Thank you."

"Working on a contingency of your own?" he asked with a knowing look.

Bonnie hummed in response. "One can never be too careful. These are delicate times for us all. Things are about to change. I have been thinking I might also need to increase my security."

Mason nodded. "We need more of our people in that house. Giuseppe would have never drawn another breath if one of ours had been working in the manor that night. I can see about getting Brady or Ty assigned to you."

He couldn't think of anyone that he would trust to protect Bonnie more than his younger brother or his nephew.

"Either would be a good choice. I would prefer to have Tyler protecting me. You may need Brady's help with the task I gave you. Anyway, I've already planted the seed with Damon that I'd feel more secure with a personal guard in the house. He said that he would speak to Ric about finding someone suitable."

"I have Ric's ear. I'll be sure to nudge him in the right direction."

"Thank you," she replied.

"You are welcome." He checked his phone and sighed. "Sorry, I am waiting for Vicki to call me back."

"How is Vicki doing?" Bonnie asked with an amused smile. Mason had once vowed never to get married.

He smiled wryly. "She has her good and bad days. Today is one of the bad days. She's been on one since I left her alone with the kids while I was in Shadow Hills."

The young woman snickered in response. "That's what you get for marrying a crazy woman. Donovan women have two settings: crazy and crazy as fuck. Frankly, I don't know how Mattie survived growing up with Kelly and Vicki."

Mason snorted. "Well, I have some insight into that because Kelly has been living with us for the last few months. She said it was to help Vick with the new baby but I think she's moved in for the long haul and they just haven't told me yet."

"You poor bastard. You'll be lucky if they don't kill one another even if this was their plan."

He huffed out a laugh. "Oh, they're getting along for now but it's only a matter of time before they are at one another's throats. She drives me crazy, but Kelly really has been a lifesaver. Adding a fifth kid to the family wasn't our smartest move. "

Bonnie let out an impressed whistle. "I still can't believe that you have five kids. I'm freaking out at the prospect of having three."

"Well, Vicki and I won't be having any more kids. We both decided to get our junk snipped, tied, yanked out…whatever."

Her eyes went wide. "What are you going to tell Father Finn about that?"

He snorted. "I'm going to tell him that if I get Vicki pregnant again that she will stab me in my sleep."

Bonnie laughed with a shake of her head.

He looked down at his phone after it vibrated. He quickly responded to the message and then stood up. "Looks like Tyler is here. I reminded him to come around back."

She nodded. "Hopefully, that won't be necessary for much longer."

"Don't worry. I will make sure that Ric chooses Tyler or Brady for your security detail. I'll feel better when it's one of us protecting you," he replied.

"Me too," Bonnie agreed.

Tyler walked into the room carrying food from In and Out Burger and a shopping bag. He set the food on the table and said, "I brought lunch. Where's Sarah?"

Bonnie's mouth watered a little at the smell of grease and cheese. She was about 50% sure that she would throw up after eating. However, she wasn't about to turn down a meal from her favorite fast food spot. "She's taking a nap right now."

Mason clapped his nephew on the back. "I am going to get back to work now that you are here. I'll make sure to start those inquires as soon as possible, Bonnie. Call me if you need anything."

"I will and thanks—again," she replied.

He clapped his nephew on the back and then headed toward the back to slip out of the house unnoticed.

Bonnie rushed into Tyler's arms as soon as the door closed behind Mason. She wordlessly melted into his familiar embrace. There weren't words to express the bond they shared. Tyler had been there for when she needed him most—and it wasn't the first time. "Thank you for coming."

Tyler tightened his hold on Bonnie and pecked her forehead. "Where else would I be?"

"I missed you," she whispered into his chest.

He relaxed feeling Bonnie's soft curves against him. "I would have gone to Shadow Hills with you and Sarah if my disappearance wouldn't have been suspicious. I hated that the two of you were there alone."

"I know," she whispered. "But the time alone was good for us. I was able to devote all of my attention to Sarah and she needed that. I think that I needed it, too."

He pulled back enough to study her face. He cupped her chin and said, "You are looking better. How do you feel?"

"I feel better, too. Morning sickness is causing me more discomfort than any of my injuries are," she replied.

Tyler's eyes went down to her stomach. He smiled and asked, "Do you think the kiddos will let you scarf down a double-double and fries?"

"Maybe. Did you remember to get extra fries for me?"

He rolled his eyes and asked, "What kind of question is that? I even stopped off at the market to buy a bottle of creamy Romano salad dressing for you."

Bonnie's eyes lit up. "You are the best, Ty."

"I know," he replied with a grin. "Now sit down so that we can get some food in you."

She sat down on the couch and curled her legs underneath her. She couldn't ignore the sense of calm that washed over her in Tyler's presence. She could be herself when she was with Tyler. He knew her in ways that Damon never could. Moreover, she trusted him to have her best interest at heart.

Tyler handed Bonnie's food to her. He said, "I bought lunch for Sarah, too. I'll just go put it in the fridge for her. She might want it when she wakes up."

Bonnie nodded but she was too busy squeezing Romano dressing onto her fries to respond. She popped one fry into her mouth and sighed happily at the garlicky flavor. She was happy that her stomach didn't automatically rebel against the rich food. Bonnie hoped that at least some of her earlier nausea had been because of her frayed nerves.

Tyler returned a few minutes later with a bottle of water and a glass of strawberry milk. He had a seat beside Bonnie on the couch and toed off his designer dress shoes. He hated his job as a corporate investigator for Velocita. The work was mind numbing because he was overqualified for his job. However, it was a good cover and provided income he could claim on his tax returns to appease Uncle Sam.

He took off his suit jacket and tie before digging into his own lunch. He glanced over at Bonnie with a smirk. She was practically inhaling her meal. "Good?"

She nodded happily. "So good." Bonnie eyed the glass of strawberry milk he had placed in front of her. "Did you check the expiration date on that milk? I can't remember the last time I stocked the kitchen. Everything in the refrigerator is probably out of date by a couple of months."

Tyler chuckled and said, "Don't worry. I am not forcing you to drink spoiled milk. I went shopping this weekend for the essentials. I figured we'd need some fresh food around here if we're going to use this place as our base of operations."

"Thank you for doing that, Ty. I didn't even think about needing food when I was out earlier." Bonnie took a big gulp of the milk and asked, "How much did it run you? I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about it. Mason and Brady will be here more often than either of us will be. I'll make them reimburse me for it," he replied.

He was well acquainted with his uncles' voracious appetites. They would burn through the food he picked up in a week's time even with them only being there a few hours each day.

"How'd the meeting with Abby go?"

Bonnie put her feet in Tyler's lap as she bit into her burger. "Better than I expected. It didn't take much to get her on my side. I guess I never realized how much she disliked my marriage to Damon."

He snorted and said, "I think that is the party line for anyone that actually cares about you, Bon. My old man definitely wasn't on board with the idea but Miss Sheila promised that she had a plan."

Verdant eyes studied him carefully. "She did have a plan and I am following the framework. But I am also doing things my own way. I know that you worry about my objectivity but I haven't taken my eye off the prize. My feelings for Damon will never overshadow my duty to the family, Ty."

Tyler put down his half-eaten burger and moved closer to Bonnie. He took her hand and said, "I'm sorry for saying that I didn't trust your judgment, Bon. I didn't mean it. I was just…in a bad headspace at the time. Can you forgive me?"

A weight Bonnie hadn't even realized that she was carrying began to lift off her shoulders. She nodded at Tyler with a small smile. "Of course, I forgive you."

He pecked her cheek.

The two childhood friends fell into a companionable silence as they finished eating lunch.

Tyler stood up and collected their trash. "Do you want more strawberry milk?"

Bonnie stifled a yawn and shook her head. "No, I think I am going to head upstairs to get a nap. Are you going to hang around here?"

"Yeah. I don't trust those assholes that Damon has watching your back. Go get your nap. I'll be down here when you wake up," he said.

"Thanks, Ty." Bonnie climbed the stairs and went into the master bedroom. She closed the heavy curtains to block out the late afternoon sun. Afterwards she climbed into the bed.

She was on the edge of sleep when Tyler burst into the room holding his phone aloft. He closed and locked the door so that he wouldn't disturb Sarah down the hall. The last thing they needed was for her to walk in on them discussing business. The kid was smart as a whip and didn't miss very much going on around her.

"We found the fucker," he barked out.

Bonnie's eyes popped open and she sat up in the bed. "We found Giuseppe?"

Tyler grinned as he sat beside her on the bed. "Yeah. He turned up on Cousin Dante's doorstep tonight. It makes sense that he would reach out to a Loiacono first. He was fucking testing the waters…trying to figure out who knows what. I don't have all the details yet. My old man just texted me the basics."

She considered her options. "Make sure the information gets to Lucy but keep the Salvatores in the dark for now. I want to hear what Abby learns from Alaric first."

He nodded and quickly fired off a text to his father. "Dante knows the score. He'll keep his mouth shut until we tell him otherwise."

Bonnie smiled in relief. She had been uneasy not knowing Giuseppe's whereabouts. The man had to know that his back was up against the wall and a cornered animal was unpredictable. "This is the best news I've gotten all day."

"You and me both," he replied. He reached out and ran his pointer finger over the Saint Christopher medal hanging around her neck. "Mason told me that you were wearing it in Shadow Hills."

Bonnie looked down to where Tyler's finger rested just above the swell of her breasts. "I never took it off. Do you want it back?"

Tyler had been torn in two the night that Bonnie turned up to his house bruised and battered. He wanted to keep her close and never let her out of his sight again. However, he also understood that they were playing the long game. Both of their families had made incredible sacrifices to get them to this point. Damon couldn't learn that the Lockwoods' allegiance had long been flipped in the Benedetto family's favor. Tyler knew that it was ridiculous but giving Bonnie his Saint Christopher medal felt as if he was sending a piece of himself with her. The medal had belonged to his grandfather.

"No, I want you to keep it. I like knowing that you're wearing it," he replied quietly. Tyler drew Bonnie into his arms as he sought out her soft lips.

The kiss was tender, heartfelt, and so different from the way that Damon kissed her. Bonnie knew that this was wrong but every fiber of her being tingled from Tyler's touch. She wanted him. She needed him.


	12. Double Lives

Abby raced down the 405 like a woman possessed. She might not have struck the blows that bruised her little girl but she was certainly an accessory to the crime. Bonnie wouldn't even be married to Damon right now if not for Abby's choices. Sheila had allowed her only child to marry for love against her better judgment. Unfortunately, Abby chose a man that didn't love or respect her. After all this time, she wasn't even sure that Rudy had ever liked her. Her mother had been furious when after just three years of marriage Abby wanted to file for divorce. Sheila had given the young woman an ultimatum. She could divorce Rudy on the condition that she married Alaric. Otherwise, Sheila would cut her off financially. Abby had balked at the idea of trading one bad marriage for another just for the sake of business. At the time, Ric was a coked up womanizer with a violent streak that scared her. He used to take a little too much pleasure doing wet work for the family. Ric was a different man now but she couldn't have known that eighteen years ago.

Abby inhaled a steadying breath as she drove into the three-car garage. The 3,500 square foot house she shared with Alaric was located in one of Huntington Beach's most exclusive gated communities. The house was too large for their little family. However, Alaric insisted on the neighborhood because of the security. He wanted to know that his family was safe even when he couldn't be with them. Unfortunately, he was absent from their lives more often than not. Honestly, his work took him away from both of his families more than he liked. His duties had doubled when Damon began quietly consolidating his power.

She climbed out of the car with a hard set to her jaw. Abigail Bennett was a woman on a mission. She had let down her daughter too many times to count. She had her reasons for leaving Bonnie behind as a child. In hindsight, none of those reasons were good enough. Abby had acted selfishly and Bonnie was still paying the price for her poor decisions. Sheila wasn't there anymore to pick up the slack for her feckless daughter. Bonnie needed her mother to come through for her more than she ever had in the past.

Abby was glad that the children were out with the nanny for the afternoon. She needed to have this conversation with Ric in private and without interruptions. He was bound to put up some resistance in the beginning. He was old school and didn't like when Abby stuck her nose in his business. However, he couldn't dismiss her in the same way that Damon often dismissed Bonnie. Abby might have taken a hands-off approach to the business but at the end of the day, she was always a Benedetto.

Ric had hoped that the 40-minute drive would have helped calm her. However, those hopes were dashed the moment he saw the thunderous expression on her face. He started, "Baby…."

She stormed across the room and slapped him so hard that her hand stung from the impact. Abby winced in pain but her features remained hard as she glared at the man she loved. "I will take the kids and move to Milazzo if you ever keep something like this from me again, Alaric."

He clenched his jaw and set his glass of scotch on the fireplace's mantel. Ric knew from their brief phone conversation that Abby would be mad at him. However, threatening to leave with their kids was crossing a line for him. He wasn't a good partner but he tried to be a good father to his children. He said, "Don't threaten me, Abigail."

Abby stood tall in front of Ric with her shoulders squared and her eyes narrowed. She didn't like arguing with Alaric but it was the only way to make him take her seriously. "That wasn't a threat, it's a promise. Your sexual predator brother attacked my little girl and you didn't have the decency to tell me about it. How can you claim to love me while withholding something so serious about my child?"

"If Bonnie wanted you to know what happened, she would have told you. I didn't think that it was my place to get involved in your relationship. Perhaps if you hadn't spent her childhood gallivanting all over the world she would have thought to call you," he replied bitterly. Bonnie wasn't the only one that Abby abandoned while she traveled the world.

The truth hurt but she wasn't about to be distracted by her guilt. She wasn't the one in the wrong right now. Alaric knew that he screwed up and he was trying to deflect.

"Yes, I am a terrible mother to Bonnie. But you are a coward. Giuseppe lives despite the fact he has been terrorizing your family for years. How many of Zach and Damon's bones has he broken over the years? When exactly did Stefan feel safe enough to start sleeping in his own bed every night? Ten? Eleven? How many young women has your big brother beaten and raped while you turned a blind eye?"

Ric turned away from Abby because her words were cutting too deep. He knew that he was a coward for letting Giuseppe's reign of terror continue as long as it had. He could have put a stop to him years ago but didn't for one reason or another. The maniac was his big brother and he loved him. Alaric didn't know what it said about him that he was capable loving someone like Giuseppe.

"He's the boss."

Abby mocked him. "He's the boss. Is that all you have to say? No, you let him continue to live because you are a little bitch!"

He whirled around with fire in his eyes and advanced on Abby. He got right in her face and bellowed, "What did you just call me?"

"You are a lot of things Alaric, but you ain't hard of hearing. Come on Billy Badass put your hands on me. I'll burn your ass alive in this house while you sleep," Abby promised.

Ric tensed and just stared at her because he knew that Abby's threat wasn't idle. If Ric crossed the line, the hazel-eyed love of his life would make good on her promise. Moreover, he hadn't actually intended to hit her. He only wanted to intimidate Abby to make her drop the subject. It was uncomfortable to have a mirror held up against his years of inaction. However, he should have known better than testing Abby while she was in this state. "Abby, just let me explain."

"What is there to explain, Alaric? Your brother attacked my little girl. He tried to rape her! Maybe you were okay with him abusing your younger brother and nephews but I'm not you. I'm not cut from that type of cloth. I should have put my foot down the moment Mama told me that she was dying. I knew letting Bonnie marry into your family was a terrible idea. Giuseppe is a cancer that none of you seem willing to cut out!"

He scoffed, "That's big talk for a woman that had to ask her mother for permission to end her marriage."

Abby knew that it was time to toss out her trump card. She said, "Maybe it's time that I call home."

The threat in Abby's words was implicit. While Sheila had handed over control of the US side of the smuggling operation to Giuseppe before she died, Big John Benedetto still controlled the Italian side of the business. Reaching out to the Benedetto family would at best result in Giuseppe's death and at worse start a bloody mob war spanning two continents. Big John wouldn't stop until everything that once belonged to the Salvatore family was his.

Abby's family had split in two during the 40's. Her grandmother, Emily, stayed stateside to help her parents with their business. Abby's great-uncle, Daniel, moved to Italy to control the smuggling operation from the other side. He retained his father's last name, Benedetto. While in America, the family changed their name to Bennett during World War II because of anti-Italian sentiment. However, even after almost 80 years on two different continents the Benedetto family was still bonded by blood and tradition. They would never allow something like this to stand.

Ric stepped closer and pulled Abby into his arms. He hoped that he would be able to placate her. He kissed her softly. "You don't need to do anything as rash as that, Abby. Damon isn't going to let Giuseppe get away with what he's done. We are going to kill him but it has to be the right time. He has been working against us in the old country. We think he is attempting to split the family in two to prevent Damon from taking it from him. Damon and I have a trip planned for after Thanksgiving. We are going to go over and have a sit down with all of the capos. Zio Bruno is arranging everything. Once we know that Damon has their support, Giuseppe will be nothing more than a bad memory. I promise."

She scrutinized him closely as if looking for deception. However, she slowly relaxed when there didn't appear to be any. "I won't stand for him hurting my daughter again, Ric. I'll let you and Damon work your strategy but if Giuseppe even breathes on Bonnie again I will pull this whole thing down on your heads."

He stroked her back and said, "It won't come to that. Giuseppe won't show his face after what he's done. He has to know that's he's crossed a line. He's been in hiding since it went down. But if he does return, I will handle it. No questions asked, absolutely no hesitation."

"No regrets?" she asked. She understood how complicated family could be. Giuseppe had been like her father when she was a child. Her love for him had only dimmed when she learned that he was responsible for her actual father's murder. Abby had realized then that he was a two-faced monster not to be trusted.

"I promise that there will be absolutely no regrets when I kill Giuseppe. He's earned this a thousand times over." He took a breath and added, "He killed my dad."

Abby's hazel eyes widened to the size of saucers. She stared at Ric in silence for a beat. She finally uttered a confused, "What?"

"Giuseppe orchestrated the plane crash that killed my dad. Your mother recorded a conversation where he confessed to her. Sheila gave the recording to Bonnie before she died…"

Her eyes fluttered closed as she silently thanked her mother. She knew they were only considering killing Giuseppe because of that recording. When Abby's eyes reopened, she looked up at Alaric with sympathy. "I'm sorry, honey. He killed my dad, too. He's taken so much from the people he claims to love above all else. Are you okay? Is Zach?"

Ric leaned his forehead down against hers. "Zach is despondent. Even with the abuse, he always felt grateful that Giuseppe didn't allow him to go into the foster care system. Now he knows that our loving brother is the reason he was an orphan. He killed our father and then terrorized us for years."

"What about you?" she asked again.

"I'm always fine."

"We both know that is a lie. You don't have to pretend that you're not hurt by this. You remember what a wreck I was when I learned the truth. You knew your father much better than I knew mine."

Ric said, "I can't even say that I am surprised because I've always known that Giuseppe was faithless. I have watched him turn on men that have given our family years of loyal service for some perceived slight. It just never occurred to me that he would kill the man that gave us life. Our father had his flaws, as all men do, but he loved us. I can't remember our old man raising his voice at us, let alone hitting us."

She brushed her lips against his and asked, "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

"Don't go," he whispered.

Abby felt guilty for threatening him earlier. However, it had been necessary. "I won't but you can't keep something like this from me, Ric. She's my little girl. What if our roles were reversed? You would never forgive me for keeping something like this from you about one of our kids."

He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry. I won't keep you in the dark again but you can't tell Bonnie any of what I just told you. Damon told her that he is going to force Giuseppe into early retirement. He doesn't want her knowing the things he's capable of doing."

"You are forgiven," she replied. "I won't say anything to her, Ric. Mama kept her away from the business for good reason."

The lies rolled off Abby's tongue so effortlessly. She loved Alaric but her allegiance would always be to her blood.

Ric visibly relaxed after Abby forgave him. He asked, "Where are the kids?"

"The boys had a half day at school today. Seline took them and Savannah to the aquarium and then the zoo."

Ric nodded. "Will they be home soon? I have a surprise for Jamie."

"They probably won't be home until around dinner time. What did you buy for Jamie now?" she asked with an amused smile.

"I picked up that first-person shooter game that Jamie has been wanting."

She frowned. "Do you mean the game that he's not really old enough to be playing?"

He tightened his hold on Abby's waist. "Come on. Let me be the good cop, please. I'm trying to make up a lot of ground here. I haven't really been a consistent part of his life until now. Parenting over Skype and phone calls wasn't easy. It's bad enough that I'm _Uncle Ric._ "

Abby knew how much Alaric resented the choices she had made over the years. He hated that she had refused to marry him when they were younger. He hated that until very recently, she refused to live in the Los Angeles area so that he could be close to their children. Ric tried to be present in the kids' lives despite the distance. Before Abby moved to the area, he would fly cross-country to spend two weekends a month with them. Jamie turning 12 years old changed her mind about the situation. Her son needed a strong male role model in his life full-time.

However, their arrangement was like balancing on a knife's edge. Their kids didn't even know that Ric was their father. It was too much to ask children to keep such a big secret when they often spent time at the manor. One slip of the tongue and the entire family would know that Ric and Abby were having an affair. Of course, the relationship wasn't a secret to everyone. Giuseppe, Zach, Damon, and now Bonnie all knew the truth. However, everyone kept quiet on the matter for the sake of Jo and the twins.

"Jamie is going to be so excited about the game. And he'll have plenty of time to play it while he's out for Thanksgiving break."

"Thank you," he replied.

"Do you have to leave immediately? I know things must be crazy for you right now."

Ric shook his head. "No. I was thinking that I might stay the night here with you and the kids."

Abby smiled. "I would like that."

He asked, "Do you want to fool around while Savannah and the boys are out with Seline?"

She rolled her eyes but nodded. "I think that we could both use a little comfort right now. I just want to put this afternoon out of my mind, even if it is just for a couple hours. But you have to take a shower first because you are ripe."

Ric grinned and said, "I had just finished working out when I called to check in with you. I didn't expect all of this to follow."

Abby laughed and said, "Well, at least you're not planning to get flabby in your old age."

He bought his palm down against her backside with an audible crack. "Who are you calling old?"

She jumped and slapped his chest. "That hurt!"

Ric grinned and said, "Let me kiss it better."

Abby huffed and shoved his shoulder. "Go take your shower before I change my mind about having sex with you. I am going to call Seline to make sure that she doesn't bring the kids home early."

He kissed her cheek. "Good idea. I'll see you upstairs."

Abby walked into the kitchen and took out her phone. She typed a quick message to Seline.

 **Abby:** _Could you try to stay out until 5? If not, at least call before you come home._

She then took out the burner phone that Bonnie gave her and walked out by the pool. She called the number on the phone and waited patiently for her daughter to answer.

 _"_ _Hello?" Bonnie asked._

"Hi, baby. I talked to Ric. He told me that Damon plans to kill Giuseppe but there's been a snag. Giuseppe has been trying to secure control of the family's presence in Italy. They are going to fly over next week to meet with the heavy hitters to make sure that doesn't happen. After that, Damon will give the green light to kill Giuseppe. Alaric is going to be the one to carry out the hit. I am going to pressure Ric to get it done faster. I don't like the idea of that monster on the loose."

 _"_ _Well, that's good news. Really good news. Thank you for doing this, Mom."_

Abby said, "You don't need to thank me. I'll start working on that other thing after the holiday. I don't want you to pay me for this, Bonnie. I am doing this because I love you. You can look at it that I am doing this because I owe you for all the times I've let you down in the past. Either way I don't want your money, baby girl."

 _"_ _Mom…"she argued._

"No. I know that I haven't been a good mother for you. I can't change any of that now. What kind of gutter dweller would I be if I didn't do this out of the goodness of my heart? You're not going to change my mind about this. I will just return the money if you wire it into my account."

 _Bonnie relented. "Fine. Are you bringing the kids over for Thanksgiving? I roped Lucy into helping me cook. I gave Sophie the holiday off so I could use another set of hands."_

Abby bit back a smile. "I'll be there. Your grams never gave you the secret ingredient to her sweet potato pies so yours never taste quite right."

 _The girl huffed out a laugh. "Whatever. At least I can make macaroni and cheese better than you do."_

"That's true. You work magic with that mac and cheese casserole."

 _Bonnie asked, "Do you want to stay over tomorrow night? Lucy and I are going to start cooking the day before Thanksgiving."_

"Sure. I'd like that. I should go before Ric finishes his shower. I'll talk to you later."

 _"_ _Okay. Bye."_

"Bye, baby."

Abby ended the call and then went back inside. She quickly climbed the stairs and was relieved to hear the shower still running. She ducked into her walk in closet and opened her floor safe. Abby tossed in the burner phone after turning it off. She wouldn't have to worry about Ric stumbling across the phone and asking any questions. He actually had the audacity to be the jealous type despite his own double life.

She stripped out of her clothes and walked into the bedroom just as Ric turned off the shower. However, just then his phone rang. Abby walked over to his nightstand and glanced at the phone to see who was calling.

She picked up the phone and walked into the bathroom. "Your nephew is calling you."

Ric stared at her body for a beat before taking the phone. He answered the call and said, "You have terrible timing, nipote."

Abby shook her head and said, "I'll leave you to it but I'm start without you if this call takes too long."

He groaned as he watched her swing her hips as she left the bathroom. "What do you want, Damon?"

 _"_ _I love you too, Zio," he snarked. "Exactly what am I interrupting?"_

"Don't be a little shit, Damon. What do you want?" Ric asked. He stepped out of the shower.

 _Damon laughed. "I get to poke a little fun at the fact that you are banging my mother-in-law. I mean she's hot so I get it."_

"More like you married the daughter of my longtime girlfriend but we're splitting hairs here," he retorted.

 _"_ _Touché. Anyway, I told you that Stefan asked to join us in Milazzo."_

"Yeah. And you turned him down."

 _He said, "Well, he brought it up again. He really wants to make the trip over with us. I think he might be serious."_

Alaric was dumbstruck by that idea. His younger nephew had always steered clear of the dirty side of the business. Ric and Zach had put their foot down when Stefan was a teenager. They refused to let Giuseppe force him into the business as he'd done with the rest of them. They wouldn't let him steal the boy's childhood that way. As a result, Stefan had always been more focused on the numbers and the family's revenue streams. "What brought this on?"

 _"_ _Fuck if I know what goes on in Stefan's head. He just walked into my office and told me that it was time for him to step up. I told him that I would think about it."_

Ric snorted. "And what you meant was that you would have me think about it."

 _"_ _I am just trying to make sure that I don't permanently damage my delicate baby brother. You know he wasn't really meant for this thing of ours. I was never bitter about him avoiding the awful shit that we all had to do. He's the good one. He just might be the only one of us not going to hell."_

The elder Salvatore definitely couldn't argue with Damon's point. Stefan was always the more sensitive brother. The kid had been soft spoken even after he went through puberty. "He can come with us and observe but nothing more than that. We need to ease him into this to make sure it's really what he wants."

 _"_ _That sounds fair enough. I will let him know tonight. Are you coming over for dinner?' Damon asked._

"No. I'm going to stay out here with Abby and the boys,' he replied. He scowled when he heard a buzzing sound coming from the bedroom. "Is that it? Because she actually started without me."

 _Damon barked out a laugh. "I really didn't need that mental image. Yeah, that was all I needed. I'll talk to you later, Zio. Don't have a heart attack."_

Ric rolled his eyes and said, "Later, kid."

He left his phone on the counter and grabbed a towel from the rack. Ric did a quick pass over his body to dry most of the moisture from his skin before walking out of the bathroom. He stood in the doorway and drank in Abby's appearance. "You've been a very bad girl."

She wasn't actually interested in having sex right now. However, the best way to manipulate Ric was to sate him with sex. After an orgasm or two, he would be putty in her hands. Abby wouldn't be satisfied until she knew everything. She could tell that Ric was holding something back. The time for being hands off with her daughter's life had come to an abrupt end that day.

Abby bit her bottom lip. "You took too long."

He licked his lips and said, "Well, don't let me interrupt you."


	13. House of Horrors

A/N: I can't believe that we've already reached 100 reviews! You guys are amazing! Thank you for all of the awesome feedback.

* * *

Damon felt his blood run cold when he walked into his bedroom at the manor. The room bore signs of a violent struggle. Furniture was out of place and a bedside lamp lay broken on the floor. However, his stormy blue eyes locked onto the disheveled bed. He could see streaks of blood staining the periwinkle sheets. Damon's mind went to dark places as he wondered if Bonnie lied about being able to stop Giuseppe from violating her. His fists clenched so tight that his short nails dug into the palms of his hands. Even after having a week to digest what happened here, seeing the aftermath brought a new realization. His little bunny had fought back. It was almost inconceivable to him.

The staff never entered their room without explicit permission from him or Bonnie. If the door remained closed then they weren't allowed to enter. Part of him wished that he had called ahead to instruct the cleaning staff to take care of the mess. However, something in him needed to see this. In his mind's eye, he could picture the attack clearly. His father was a hulking man that stood several inches taller and weighed nearly 60 lbs more than he did. Giuseppe had been lying in wait for Bonnie after she put Sarah to bed. He didn't need to imagine her fear at finding Giuseppe waiting for her. Damon had been on the receiving end of Giuseppe's fists for as long as he could remember. Their most recent fight had taken place about six months ago. However, at 31 years old Damon could hold his own in a fight with the older man. Years of boxing meant that he had knocked his father on his ass easily. Zach and Stefan had to pull him off Giuseppe before he inflicted real damage.

Damon would never understand how his father became this type of man. His great-uncles were good men. Maybe they liked to drink and gamble a little too much but everyone had their vices. He'd never heard of them striking their wives or children. From all accounts, his grandfather hadn't been a needlessly violent man either. Yet somehow, his father had grown into a violent sociopath that laid waste to everyone unfortunate enough to cross his path when he was on a bender. There was always alcohol involved when Giuseppe lost control with his family. However, Damon always believed that it was an excuse—not a reason. Giuseppe used his alcoholism as a cover to lash out whenever he felt like it. Once he was sober, he would offer an insincere apology and then acted as if it never happened.

He still couldn't believe that his little princess had to witness any of Giuseppe's madness. This wasn't the life he imagined for Sarah when she landed on his doorstep five years ago. Damon had been drunk off his ass and more than a little high when Zach burst into his room with a squalling bundle in his arms. At first, he thought that his uncle was holding one of Stefan and Caroline's twins. They had been born a few months earlier. However, Zach quickly snapped him to reality by depositing the infant into his arms. Damon thought all babies looked alike. He couldn't even tell his niece and nephew apart but instantly realized that this was a different baby. She was obviously biracial and her cerulean eyes matched his own. He hadn't needed Zach to say that the child was his. However, his uncle had read the note that Bree's sister left behind to confirm his suspicions.

Briefly, Damon had considered giving Sarah up for adoption. He also considered giving her to Ric or Zach to raise. They were both men he respected and they were good fathers. One thing Damon had known was that he wasn't fit to be anyone's father. He worked and played hard. He slept with any woman that smiled at him. He used to drink too much alcohol and snorted enough coke for it to be classified as worrying. However, Sarah's tiny hand had clenched the material of his t-shirt and she held on for dear life. Keeping her was a snap decision but he never regretted it until now. Now he found himself wishing that he had shielded his little girl from this life and her grandfather.

Zach cleared his throat as he walked into the room. "Damon…"

The younger man turned around at hearing his uncle's voice. "What's up?"

"I just talked to Alaric. He's worked out a roster for more guards to be posted here. He also mentioned that you wanted personal guards for Bonnie. He tapped Tyler Lockwood and Matt Donovan to protect her and Sarah. I'll find people to fill their roles in the interim at Velocita."

Damon was familiar with both young men. However, he knew Tyler on a more personal level than he did Matt. Stefan and Tyler were best friends. As children, they used to cause chaos around the manor. However, they were never more troublesome than when Bonnie was present. It seemed that they were twice as loud, reckless, and messy with her assistance. Bonnie was obviously the ringleader despite being two years younger than Stefan and Tyler were. However, those big green eyes of hers managed to get them out of trouble every time.

He had gotten to know Matt better in the last seven years. The younger man had become friends with Stefan while they were in high school. Prior to that Damon had only seen Matt in passing because of the age difference. The boy's old man was fourteen years into a 25-year prison sentence for murder. Peter Maxwell was a deadbeat father even before he went to prison. However, he had been a loyal soldier for the Salvatore family. He took his prison sentence like a stand up guy and refused to take any of the deals the prosecution offered him.

He nodded. "They're both good choices. I want them to start as soon as possible. They can work out trading off days amongst themselves. I just want to know that Sarah and Bonnie are protected at all times."

"Mason sat Tyler and Matt down to explain exactly what we will be expecting of them, Damon. Tyler should be on his way to keep an eye on Bonnie right now. They will drive her around, too. We're going to make sure that she is safe," he promised.

"Good." He could focus on Giuseppe if he knew that his wife and daughter weren't in harm's way.

"Should I have one of the maids come take care of this?' he asked.

It was Zach's way of telling Damon to let this go. Trying to recreate the night in his head wasn't going to help them find Giuseppe. Moreover, Bonnie could return home at any moment. She didn't need to be subjected to this. The best thing for the young mother was to put all of this behind her as soon as possible.

Damon took a deep breath and said, "Yes, that would be good."

"Come take a walk with me," Zach suggested. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "We can see how Dorian is getting along with the menagerie that you purchased."

The younger man scoffed as he followed his uncle. "It's hardly a menagerie, Zio. Besides, I asked Rose to hire a dog trainer to help Dorian with the puppies. I'm sure he'll have it all under control in a matter of days…or weeks."

"We now have four dogs, a cockatoo, and a budgie living in our home. What would you call that motley crew if not a menagerie, Damon?" Zach asked with a raised eyebrow.

Damon shrugged and replied, "An apology to my daughter for what happened. And maybe an apology to all the children for what I'm about to do to Giuseppe."

The older man hummed in agreement. Zach's children adored Giuseppe. He was like their grandfather. Fortunately, they had all been spared his cruelty thus far. However, Bonnie was evidence that it was only a matter of time. He motioned to a maid when they arrived on the main level. He said, "Please make sure that their room is spotless before Mrs. Salvatore's arrival."

"Yes, Mr. Salvatore," the older woman replied.

Damon added, "Maybe get in some of Bonnie's favorite flowers to brighten up the room. They're uh…"

Zach chuckled at his nephew's lack of knowledge.

"I'll get in some fresh orchids from the florist, sir," the maid helpfully suggested.

Damon nodded. "Thank you."

The maid scurried off to prepare the room for Bonnie. There had been rumors amongst the staff about the reason for Bonnie's sudden disappearance. Some thought that she had finally left Damon.

Zach said, "You've been married four years now. How is it possible that you don't know your wife's favorite flower?"

He rolled his eyes as they continued outside. "I don't know anything about flowers. Besides, Rose generally handles all of that. I know the important things like her birthday and our anniversary."

"Well, aren't you a hopeless romantic," he said with no shortage of sarcasm.

"Not everyone can be whipped like you, Zio."

Zach laughed. "I'm not whipped. I just know how to appreciate my wife. It wouldn't kill you to do the same, Damon. You should be looking at this as a new beginning for you and Bonnie. She chose to stick by you when most sane women would have run for their lives."

Damon scowled at Zach. "I do appreciate my wife."

The older man just shook his head in exasperation. Unlike Alaric and Damon, he actually honored his vows. Zach had never cheated on Meredith. He loved his wife and he was content with their life together. Frankly, he didn't understand how his brother and nephew had the time or energy to carry on with other women. Zach hardly had a moment to himself whilst balancing his home life, his work at Velocita, and the family business. His workload would only increase once Damon was officially head of the Salvatore family.

"You know that I don't like meddling in your personal affairs…"

Damon snorted and rolled his eyes. Zach was always giving him a hard time about his shortcomings. He didn't do it in a negative way. His uncle just wanted him to be a better man than Giuseppe was. It was all he wanted for both of his nephews.

Zach smiled wryly. "I just don't want you to lose the best thing that ever happened to you. You have matured so much since you married Bonnie. She's good for you and Sarah."

"I know that," he argued.

No one could dispute the metamorphosis Damon had undergone since he married Bonnie. He kept his dalliances out of the public eye. He stopped using cocaine completely. Damon even scaled back his drinking so that he was more of a functional alcoholic. However, he knew that there was room for improvement. He could try to be a better husband and father.

"Well, then act like it. Or maybe one day, Bonnie will figure out that you need her more than she needs you. She's not Katherine. She doesn't need your money. Bonnie is set for life if she never makes another dime," he warned.

They walked outside to where a small kennel had been hastily constructed by the grounds crew. Dorian was taking notes as the dog trainer spoke. However, Zach and Damon were far enough away that their conversation couldn't be overheard.

Damon ran a hand through his hair and said, "I'm trying. Okay?"

The older man lifted a skeptical eyebrow. Zach seriously wondered what his nephew considered 'trying'.

"I'm not screwing Katherine as often as I did when I first married Bonnie," he explained.

"Why are you dealing with her at all after that stunt she pulled with Bonnie?" he asked.

Damon shook his head. "I know that Katherine is a manipulative bitch. She is a complete train wreck but so am I most days. I can be myself when I am with her. I know that nothing I do or say is going to scare her away from me. Katherine has seen me at my most destructive and she stuck with me. It's not just about the money. I'm not egotistical enough to believe that she couldn't get what I provide from someone else."

Zach's eyebrows knitted together in concern. This was as honest as his nephew had ever been about his relationship with Katherine. He said, "I understand that you might have worried about scaring Bonnie when you first married her. However, she's not a little girl anymore. Frankly, the way she handled the situation with Giuseppe proves that she isn't as delicate as you make her out to be. You should be getting to know your wife. Bonnie is a lovely young woman."

He scoffed, "I do know her. I've known Bonnie since she was born."

Zach shook his head and clapped Damon on the back. "You know the little girl that grew up running through these halls. You may have even known the grieving young woman that married you after her grandmother died. However, she is not that anymore and hasn't been for a long time. If you won't be a better husband for Bonnie, then do it for the business. You have to know that her family will pounce on even a whiff of discord in your marriage. The Benedettos were not in favor of Bonnie marrying you. They were very much in love with the idea of Bonnie marrying a distant cousin. It is an arrangement that would be eagerly presented if this doesn't work."

"She's pregnant with my children. Bonnie isn't going anywhere," he snapped angrily. He wasn't going to let anyone take his wife away from him.

Zach shook his head. "Why does Bonnie need to stay married to you if she gives birth to a son?"

Damon opened his mouth but then quickly closed it. His eyes darkened as he mulled over his uncle's question. "She loves me," he finally spat out.

The older man chuckled at his flummoxed nephew. "Trust me when I say that love isn't enough for her to keep putting up with your bullshit. You need to cut Katherine loose because she is a liability, Damon. If you just need something on the side then choose someone smart enough to be fucking discreet."

Damon didn't like the tightness in his chest that came from thinking of Bonnie leaving him. It took him back to the night in Shadow Hills when Bonnie suggested that she could find someone more worthy of her. Damon wasn't delusional. His wife was beautiful and intelligent. He knew that she could have a line of suitors a mile long if so inclined. However, the very thought made his blood boil. "I'll figure it out, Zio."

"You had better because Big John won't be interested in you controlling his family's smuggling operation if you aren't married to Bonnie," Zach pointed out.

Damon growled, "I get it! I've had enough life lessons from you today."

Zach shook his head with a wry smile. "Not yet. I'm expecting you to restrain yourself Saturday night when we're at Klaus' welcome home party. I know that the two of you aren't the best of friends…"

"I hate that pompous asshole," Damon corrected.

"Pompous asshole or not, he's the little brother of our best ally. You know Elijah intends to make him a captain. You are going to have to put the bad blood aside for the good of the alliance."

Damon said, "I still can't believe that Elijah is putting that rabid dog in charge of his own crew. Maybe if we're lucky he'll flip out and beat another man half to death on camera."

Zach rolled his eyes. "Quit your bitching. You are lucky that their father didn't get his way. Mikael wanted you to marry Rebekah to reaffirm the alliance."

"Thank fuck he died before he could convince Giuseppe of that," Damon replied. He'd slept with Rebekah a few times but there was no way in hell he'd want to be married to her.

"Giuseppe was never going to go for that arrangement. His eyes were always focused on joining the Salvatore and Benedetto families. However, it was amusing to hear Mikael pitch his idea a half dozen times. At one point, Giuseppe offered up Stefan to appease him."

Damon laughed. "She would have eaten poor little Stefan for lunch and used his bones as toothpicks."

Lucian ran out of the house bouncing a basketball. The boy was already 5'5" tall despite just turning twelve years old earlier that year. He was the spitting image of his father. He bumped Damon on purpose as he stopped next to him. "You really bought puppies for us, cugino?"

Damon ruffled his younger cousin's hair. "Yeah. You little animals are going to help Dorian take care of those little animals. Got me?"

He grinned up at him. "Yeah. Thanks, Damon."

Zach scowled playfully. "You're not even going to speak to your old man?"

Lucian shrugged and said, "You didn't buy me a puppy."

Damon laughed at the expression on Zach's face.

Zach smirked. "Where's your mother?"

"She's upstairs giving Jon a bath. Uncle Logan let him play in the mud. He's covered in the stuff. She's pissed."

"Aye! What have I told you about your language?'

"Pissed isn't that bad," Lucian argued.

Damon said, "Exactly. He could have said fucking pissed."

Zach glared at his nephew. "Don't put any ideas in his head."

Damon smirked. "I'm sure he's cursing every chance he gets. I did when I was his age."

Lucian looked at the ground with a sly smile on his face.

His father groaned. He didn't want to think about the ways his son could be like Damon. He kept a closer eye on his children than Giuseppe ever did with them. However, there just weren't enough hours in the day and there were too many ways for Lucian to find trouble. "Just don't let your mother hear you or you'll be an altar boy until you go off to college."

"I won't, Papa."

Damon tapped him on the back. "Go over there and listen to what the trainer is telling Dorian. You're the oldest around here so I am expecting you to help out the most."

"Okay." Lucian jogged across the yard to join Dorian and the trainer in the kennel.

Zach said, "I'm going to head inside and see how bad the damage is with Jon. Think about what I said earlier. Yeah?"

Damon nodded. "Yeah, I'll think about it, Zio."

Zach shook his head as he walked into the house.

The younger man considered his uncle's plea. Perhaps it was time to end things with Katherine. He had already promised Bonnie that he would end the affair. He had truly meant it in the heat of the moment. He would have said anything to stop Bonnie from pulling away from him. Katherine's tantrum could have very well cost Damon his marriage. However, there was part of him that just didn't want to let her go. Enzo seemed to think that Katherine had heeded his warning. However, he knew that his best friend had a soft spot for his mistress.

Damon took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He had earned the moniker of playboy honestly. He could call any number of women to satisfy his appetite at a moment's notice. While Katherine was his longest relationship, she was not the only woman to receive his attention. His flavor of the month was Andie Starr. They had crossed paths a few months ago during a charity gala. Bonnie had been with him at the time but he sent Andie flowers the next day. They had met up several times since then and he wasn't disappointed. Perhaps she could be the woman to replace Katherine.

A guard walked outside and said, "Mrs. Salvatore has just arrived, Sir."

Damon put away his phone and nodded in acknowledgement. He headed out to the front of the house to greet his wife and daughter.

An SUV with tinted windows pulled up in front of the massive three-story mission style home. The Salvatore manor sat on a ten-acre lot 40 minutes outside of Los Angeles. The perfectly manicured grounds featured an Olympic sized pool, and full-size tennis and basketball courts. The only way onto the property was the gated entrance at the bottom of the hill. The manor had been the Salvatore family's prized possession for seventy-eight years.

Damon walked up to the car once it came to a stop. He was eager to get his family back into their home. He opened the back door and smiled at his wife. "I was wondering when you would come home."

Bonnie took Damon's hand and stepped down from the SUV. She said, "Sorry. I did some shopping for Christmas gifts and decided to wrap them at the beach house. Sarah took a nap while we were there. Then I took a nap, too."

Damon scooped Sarah out of the car and said, "Well, I am glad that you are both here now and well rested. I have a surprise for you, bambolina."

The little girl looked up at her father with big eyes. She tightened her arms around his neck. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

Damon said, "I'll just have to show you. But I think that you are going to like it."

"Is it a puppy?" Sarah asked in a hopeful voice.

"Maybe," he hedged playfully.

Bonnie looked over her shoulder at Tyler. "Could you bring those bags inside? You can give them to one of the maids. Just tell them to put everything in the bedroom."

Tyler nodded and said, "Of course."

Bonnie followed Damon and Sarah into the house. She wasn't afraid to be inside the manor. Giuseppe valued his life too much to return so soon after attacking her. However, the atmosphere felt tainted to her in some way. She used anticipate visiting the manor as a child. Now the nostalgia was replaced by the feeling of being in enemy territory.

Damon led them out to the kennel in the backyard.

Sarah squealed in excitement and squirmed until Damon put her onto the ground. "Puppies! There are four puppies! I love them, Papa. I love them so much."

Damon watched as his daughter rushed into the kennel to meet her new canine friends.

Bonnie smiled looking at the four chocolate Labrador puppies that couldn't have been more than a six months old. She asked, "Did you buy them from a breeder?"

He slipped an arm around Bonnie's waist and pecked her cheek. "No, I know how you feel about breeders and puppy mills. Rose adopted the puppies from a local rescue group. They're all part of the same litter. That's Georgie. She's the dog trainer. She's going to come by a couple days a week to help Dorian train the pups."

She watched Sarah fawn all over the puppies. She was grateful that for now their daughter wasn't thinking of what happened here. "You did a good job, Damon."

"Yeah?" he asked.

Bonnie nodded. "Oh, I hope you don't mind but Lucy is going to stay with us for the holiday. Maybe a little longer than that actually…"

Damon tensed at the mention of Lucy staying at the manor. It wasn't that he had any problems with her. In fact, she had stayed at the manor many times in the past. However, he was concerned about having an outside voice in Bonnie's ear. He was reminded of his uncle's warning from a few minutes ago. He hadn't been concerned when Alaric told him that Abby knew what happened to Bonnie. The woman might have been her mother but they didn't have a close relationship. However, Lucy was a different matter completely. The girls were close and Bonnie often sought her older cousin's counsel.

He feigned a smile. "I don't mind at all. I think it would be good for you to have family around for the holiday. Lucy is welcome to stay as long as she wants."

"Are you sure? I can put her up at the beach house if it's a problem," Bonnie offered.

He shook his head. "It's no problem at all. You know that we have the space. Maybe she can convince you to rest."

She laughed. "You two are starting to sound like a broken record. If both of you got your wish I would be on bed rest."

"Is it a crime to be worried about you? You are pregnant after all," he murmured into her hair.

"It's not a crime but it is completely unnecessary. I am fine. Your aunts have assured you of that several times in the last week."

He grumbled. "They're not obstetricians."

Bonnie rolled her eyes while she smiled fondly at her husband. "No, but one of them is a neurosurgeon and the other is Chief of Surgery at a level one trauma center. Besides, they've both had an obstetrics rotation. If it makes you feel any better, I'll make an appointment with Dr. Huerta for next week. You can come with me."

Damon squeezed Bonnie's hips and said, "There's actually something I need to talk about with you."

She scoffed. "Are you going to say that you don't trust Dr. Huerta now?"

He kissed her neck. "No. But there's some business I need to handle next week. I'll probably be away at least ten days."

"Oh," she said.

Damon quickly added, "But you will be safe here. Tyler Lockwood and Matt Donovan will both be protecting you. I promise that nothing is going to happen."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Bunny…"

Bonnie smiled. "I understand, Damon. Lucy will be here, too. Sarah and I will be fine. If I don't feel safe I'll just go to the beach house."

He didn't like that idea at all. However, he wasn't exactly in the position to reject the plan. He couldn't make any guarantees on how long he'd be away from home. "Just call me before you decide to go anywhere. Okay? Things are just…unsettled right now. I want to keep you safe, bunny."

"I will be safe. I have guards now," she replied.

Damon conceded, "Well, let me know if you don't like them. We can find replacements."

 **"** **I think that Matt and Tyler will work out just fine. It's nice that they are familiar faces," she replied. When Bonnie looked over her shoulder, Tyler was standing near the entrance. The tides were starting to turn and she could feel it.**


	14. The Great Pretender

In Damon's line of work, being in the presence of murderers was commonplace. His own body count was impressive for his relatively young age. Damon started doing wet work for the family straight out of high school. Either Alaric or Zach accompanied him on every hit in the beginning. They were there to watch Damon's back and to offer instruction. However, the kill was up to him. Giuseppe had been adamant that his heir should know how to defend the business that he would one day inherit. From a young age, Damon learned what it took to be the boss. His father never sheltered him from the ugliness of their business. Damon witnessed his father throwing brutal beatings to unlucky souls that drew his ire. He wasn't more than 13 years old when he watched his father kill someone for the first time.

Damon killed out of necessity. The same was true for most of the men that worked for the Salvatore organization. Generally, they were good men with families that did bad things for a living. It was a fine line but most of them found a way to walk it successfully. However, a few men on their payroll took entirely too much pleasure from doing their jobs. Those types of people had their uses even if he didn't want to invite them over for Sunday night dinner. Malachi Parker was one of those people. He had been a head case since he was a kid. The poor bastard showed all the signs of being a textbook psychopath. Instead of institutionalizing him, Joshua Parker decided to mold his son into the perfect weapon for the Salvatore organization. Kai and his younger brother, Luke, worked together as a team. Kai was brute force and Luke was the brains. The brothers were a successful tandem for that reason.

Luke had been listening to Damon explain their predicament for the last ten minutes. However, he could feel his older brother fidgeting beside him. Kai didn't enjoy the minutia of the business. Sometimes he thought of his brother as an attack dog snarling and straining against the leash holding him in place. However, Kai could play the part of mastermind if the job called for it.

Kai asked, "So you don't want us to kill her?"

Luke resisted the urge to slap his brother. Not that he thought Damon would mind judging by the look on the older man's face. However, it would just start a fight with Kai. His brother wasn't above stabbing Luke during a fight to prove a point. He always made sure it was a nonlethal strike but still Luke wasn't looking to get stabbed today.

Damon lifted an eyebrow at the pair in front of him. "No, I don't want you to kill Sabine. In fact, I hope that it doesn't come to that at all. I only want the two of you to keep an eye on her without revealing yourselves. In recent years, Giuseppe has vacationed at Sabine's home in Saint-Malo. I need to know if he is there or if he shows up there."

Zach stood off to the side with a glass of water in his hand. He didn't like sending Kai after Sabine. She was an innocent woman whose only crime was garnering Giuseppe's affection. However, his brother had few weak points and Damon needed to exploit all of them. He added, "And in an extreme case we might need to use her as bait to draw him out of hiding. Either way, we need to make sure that Giuseppe doesn't spirit her away in anticipation of our move."

Luke nodded in understanding. He looked at Damon and said, "We'll be on the first flight out tomorrow, Boss."

Damon had to admit that he liked the sound of that title. He said, "You'll be taking the jet. Zach has already made the arrangements for your travel and accommodations. I am sorry that this will interrupt your holiday plans."

Kai scoffed at the idea of spending the holiday with his family. He was the third youngest child in a family of eight. During the Thanksgiving holiday, the Parker house overflowed with his siblings, nieces, and nephews. They ate dinner early in the afternoon to accommodate his oldest sister's family. Giuseppe required his family to spend the holidays with him. This meant that Jo had to be at the manor for dinner at 7 o'clock sharp.

"We'll manage somehow," he quipped.

The two younger men stood up when Damon did. He shook their hands and said, "Thank you. I will let Zach fill you in about the arrangements."

Damon walked out of the study and headed toward the kitchen. One of the guards had texted him when Bonnie made it back from the grocery market. He was hoping to spend a little time with her before his next meeting.

He stopped short of walking into the kitchen when he heard Bonnie laughing boisterously as Lucy sang at the top of her lungs. Somehow, he had gotten used to Bonnie not drawing attention to herself. She was demure and prim in social situations. Damon enjoyed those qualities but he also missed the girl that used to snort when she laughed too much.

Damon peered into the kitchen and smiled as he watched Bonnie dancing barefoot to a song he didn't recognize. He noticed that grocery bags covered every available surface in the massive chef's kitchen. Damon supposed that he never truly considered what went into making a holiday meal for a family of their size. Normally, he just turned up at dinnertime with a half bottle of bourbon already in his system. He initially objected to Bonnie working so hard in light of her injuries. However, she brushed off his concerns, as Jo gave her the all clear to cook until her heart was content. Bonnie was ready to move on and enjoy the holiday with their family. Damon wouldn't get in the way of that.

Bonnie had gone to the market with Lucy, Caroline, and Tyler after dinner. They spent nearly two hours shopping for the ingredients she would need to cook Thanksgiving dinner. Bonnie intended to recreate the same dishes her grandmother had cooked every year for as long as she could remember. While in Shadow Hills, she had dug out her family's weathered recipe book. Some of the pages were yellowed from age because it first belonged to her great-grandmother. Emily had feverishly recorded her own mother's recipes before Hannah died. Then she had added a few of her own recipes to the book before passing it on to Sheila. In turn, Sheila had made a few entries before she died. Sometimes Bonnie wondered if Abby resented her. The girl had inherited everything that her mother should have when Sheila died.

Lucy let out a whoop. "That's right! You better sing it, girl."

Tyler smiled watching as Bonnie tried to imitate Patti LaBelle's signature dance moves. Her green eyes were shining bright with amusement and happiness.

Lucy shook her head. "You gotta put your shoulders into it more. Let me show you!"

Bonnie giggled. "You look like a fool, Luce. But this is a good playlist. Grams used to love Patti LaBelle."

Lucy stuck out her tongue. "I made it for Nana. She wanted all of her old school jams on her phone like Miss Patti, Stephanie Mills, and The Spinners. After I made the playlist, I decided I wanted it for myself, too. It brings back all the good memories, you know."

"Yeah. Grams couldn't cook a big meal without playing music for motivation. Your playlist is going to get a work out the next couple of days. Oh, this is my favorite part!" Bonnie sang along with Patti LaBelle, " _Ten long years and if you don't know me I'm not going to try to prove myself no more. You will never, never, never know me. You'll go on. You'll go on find yourself some else. Because if you think you're lonely now wait til tonight comes._ "

Lucy wistfully said, "If you don't sound just like my aunt Sheila. You got her voice that's for sure, baby girl."

Bonnie smiled sadly as the song ended. She missed her grams so much it hurt sometimes. She stood in front of the massive marble slab island as she looked through a cloth grocery bag. She frowned. "Did we get fresh garlic? I need fresh garlic for half the dishes I am cooking."

Lucy opened a bottle of cabernet that was older than she was. She said, "Yes, the insane amount of garlic you bought is over here with the flat leaf parsley and rosemary. We didn't forget anything, Bon. I promise. Caroline and I doubled checked the receipt against your list before we left the store."

Tyler knew how important this meal was to Bonnie. They had talked about it that afternoon before he drove her home. He interjected, "You can always send me out for anything you might have forgotten. I'll be here during the day all week. As you saw tonight, I know my way around a grocery store."

"That's because your mother raised you right," Bonnie said with a grateful smile.

Caroline kicked off her shoes after she walked out of the pantry. She said, "Oh! I'll take a glass of that, Lucy. Fill it to the brim please."

Lucy poured a glass of wine for Caroline and slid it across the counter. She tilted the bottle in Tyler's direction in a silent offer.

Tyler reluctantly shook his head. He could use a drink after being stranded in the Salvatore Manor for the better part of the evening. Tyler could barely stomach being in the same house where Bonnie was attacked. He didn't understand how she could stand it. However, being there to protect her was better than the alternative.

"No, thank you. I'm still on duty for another couple hours. What year is it?"

"It's a '80 cab. Bon brought it home from Shadow Hills," Lucy replied.

"That's a good year for a cabernet. I might be a little jealous," he replied.

Lucy said, "I should take a trip up there to spend time in the old house. I miss it."

Bonnie laughed. "I think you mean that you want to go visit the house and then raid the wine cellar."

"That, too," Lucy agreed. She looked at Tyler and asked, "Since when are you a wine connoisseur?"

"Since Elena has dragged me to a half dozen wine tastings this year. Her med school friends love going to Sonoma on the weekends."

"Elena is domesticating you little by little," Lucy teased.

Caroline said, "Everyone is expecting them to get engaged soon. She's going to have him driving a minivan and telling lame dad jokes in no time."

Bonnie tensed when Caroline brought up the topic of marriage. Her sister-in-law didn't know that Tyler's relationship with the medical student was on the rocks. She discreetly looked at her friend to see his reaction.

Tyler merely huffed in amusement. "Bite your tongue, Caroline. I still leave my clothes on the floor for her to pick up. I leave the toilet seat up at night and I put empty milk cartons back in the refrigerator."

The three women made a collective sound of disgust.

"I don't understand how you convinced someone as smart Elena to live with you. She's going to be a doctor. She could do better," Lucy replied.

Caroline added, "Much better."

Bonnie shook her head with an amused smile as she sorted through a bag of fresh vegetables. She started putting them in the refrigerator.

Tyler smugly replied, "Lena knows that I am a catch."

Lucy laughed as she turned up the volume as another song started playing. "No, you're not. Now your uncle Brady is a completely different story. That man makes me tingly in all of the right places."

Caroline's eyes widened because the elder Lockwood always made her nervous. He had a way looking through someone that made her uncomfortable. She didn't need anyone to explain his purpose in the Salvatore's organization. However, Caroline liked to pretend none of it was going on since her husband wasn't involved.

Tyler said, "I can pass on the message for you, Lucy. He isn't seeing anyone right now."

Bonnie said, "I thought that you and Jonah were a thing."

Lucy shrugged as she helped unpack the groceries. "His kids hate me. Besides, there ain't no ring on my finger. And Brady is sexy as hell. He looks really intense like he'd fuck me up against a wall."

Caroline nearly choked on her wine. "Lucy!"

Bonnie giggled. "Brady does look like he would go all aggro on you in the bedroom. The two of you together would be frightening. I'm imaging the recreational use of firearms and handcuffs."

Lucy smirked. "I know you are innocent, little cuz. But if it doesn't hurt just a little then you aren't doing it right."

Tyler looked at Bonnie with a grin. "I bet you fifty bucks that we will have to bail one or both of them out of jail before New Years."

Bonnie giggled. "I'm not taking that bet. They'll definitely be arrested for something. Will it be for some sort of domestic spat or a public indecency charge? That's the real question."

He chuckled. "Both."

Lucy said, "To hell with both of you."

Caroline smirked and asked, "Can I get in on this wager?"

Damon couldn't remember the last time he had heard Bonnie behaving so carefree. It irked him that she was that way with her cousin and Tyler of all people. He knew that Bonnie and Tyler had been friends as children. However, she hadn't mentioned him since she married Damon. He wondered if they were still friends. He could see why Bonnie would keep it from him. He wouldn't approve of her socializing with a man. It could give people the wrong idea. Damon walked over to his wife to make his presence known.

He asked, "Did you leave anything at the store for everyone else?"

Bonnie laughed and said, "I might have left behind a few things. Anyway, we are having close to 30 people here for Thanksgiving dinner. I just want to make sure that we have enough food for everyone."

Damon rested a possessive hand on Bonnie's hip and surveyed the cluttered kitchen. He replied, "It looks as if you have enough food here to feed twice that many people, bunny."

Tyler moved to the other side of the island because being so near Damon wasn't a good idea. Lately, he had the recurring urge to kill the bastard. The Salvatore family had long become more trouble than they were worth. However, Giuseppe's attack on Bonnie had truly taken the cake. He couldn't understand how Damon could want to be a leader of men and yet he was so careless with the most precious things in his life.

Bonnie said, "It will probably end up being too much food but I just want everything to be perfect…like when Grams was alive."

Damon's lips curled into a small smile because he used to love when Sheila would cook during the holidays. It was always this perfect blend of traditional soul food and Italian cuisine. Nobody made chocolate panna cotta quite like Miss Sheila did. He asked, "Are you going to make panna cotta?"

Bonnie nodded with a smile. "Yes, I am. We're going to have chocolate panna cotta and espresso panna cotta."

Damon pecked her lips and said, "I won't even want to eat dinner."

"I don't know about that. I am cooking a twenty pound bourbon and honey glazed ham…"

He chuckled and asked, "Are you trying to fatten me up, woman?"

"Maybe…" she replied with a grin. "I thought you were pretty cute when you had that beer gut."

Caroline choked on a mouthful of wine. "When did Damon have a beer gut? Please, tell me there are pictures!"

Bonnie said, "I think it was like his third year of college. When Grams and I came to visit for Thanksgiving he was like a sexier drunker Joaquin Phoenix."

The blonde girl snorted. "A drunker Joaquin Phoenix? How is that even possible?"

"I've always been an overachiever, Blondie. Besides, I lost the weight by the time Bonnie came to stay with us for the summer. I cut back on the drinking and hit the gym."

"Sure you lost the weight because of healthy living and exercise," Lucy smirked and made a not so subtle sniffing noise. She was obviously alluding to Damon's coke problem around that time.

Damon glared at Lucy but there was no heat behind it. His cocaine problem at the time wasn't a secret from anyone—least of all Bonnie. Unfortunately, she had seen more than her share of his bad behavior at the time.

Bonnie tossed a carrot at Lucy and said, "Leave my husband alone. He wasn't the only one that spent their early 20's putting thousands of dollars up their nose."

Lucy caught the carrot and then stuck her tongue out at her cousin. "You're just mad because you missed out on having those awesome youthful indiscretions."

This time Damon's glare was serious. He didn't want anyone reminding Bonnie of everything she gave up to marry him. His conversation with Zach was weighing on him heavily. The thing that had been most damning was the fact that Bonnie wouldn't need him if she was pregnant with at least one boy.

Caroline shook her head. "Being around your families makes me feel like my childhood was normal. The most outrageous thing I ever did was dye my hair purple while my dad was running for governor."

Damon chuckled. "You're just going to skip right over the fact that your dad got outed because he was banging that married state senator?"

"That's why I dyed my hair purple, Ass," Caroline snapped.

Damon smirked but didn't keep pushing. He knew it was still a sore subject with Caroline. Damon often gave his sister-in-law grief for her endless optimism and cheerful disposition. However, they actually had a close relationship because of Sarah. She was a lifesaver during the early months of his daughter's life. Caroline had snapped into action the moment he decided that putting the baby up for adoption wasn't an option. She insisted that Sarah share Bella and Nico's nursery. The twins were only a few months older than she was. Caroline thought it would be good to get the three infants on the same schedule. Caroline handled purchasing all of the things that a baby would need—most of which left Damon perplexed. He was grateful to hand over his card and let Caroline do the heavy lifting. She had even pumped enough breast milk to feed Sarah right along with the twins. Caroline had insisted that breast milk was the best for newborns. She had overwhelmed him with facts and figures but Caroline had really come through for him and Sarah.

Damon asked, "When will you start cooking?"

Bonnie said, "Probably early tomorrow afternoon. My mom is going to help us cook. She promised to tell me the secret ingredient for Grams' sweet potato pies."

Lucy's eyes lit up at that. "You're baking sweet potato pies, too! I didn't realize you were trying to pull off Aunt Sheila's Christmas menu. I am going to eat my weight in food and then die a happy woman."

"I miss Grams this year even more for some reason. This will help me feel closer to her. The taste and smells will take me back to happier times. At least…I hope that is what it will do," she explained.

Caroline looked at her friend with sympathy. "I'm sure that it's harder because you are pregnant this year. I don't know what I would have done without my mom during my first pregnancy. She was there to offer love, support, and advice. She made me feel like I could be a good mother even if I didn't think so at the time."

Damon silently chastised himself for not talking to Bonnie about how she felt about the pregnancy. He had been too busy trying to find Giuseppe and securing his position as head of the family. He just assumed that the girl would handle pregnancy with the same poise as she handled everything else in their life. She had taken to being Sarah's mother easily enough. However, he recognized that wasn't the same thing as carrying twins, giving birth, and caring for them from the outset.

Lucy nudged Damon out of the way so that she could hug Bonnie. She wrapped her arms around her cousin and squeezed. "I know it's not the same but I'm willing to share my grandma with you. Maybe around your birthday I can kidnap you for a couple weeks. You haven't been down to Miami since Aunt Sheila died."

Giuseppe didn't think it was proper for her to go to Miami without Damon. Unfortunately, her husband was always too busy to go visit her family. She gave a noncommittal, "Maybe."

Lucy noted the way Bonnie's eyes moved to Damon. She bit back the snide reply on the tip of her tongue. "Don't make me convince Nana to come out here. You know once she gets a chance to baby you that she might never leave."

Bonnie laughed. "I don't know if that is the threat you think it is. I could keep Aunt Geneva here and she can make banana pudding with extra Nilla wafers every day."

The older woman rolled her eyes. "You don't even like banana pudding! You only eat the Nilla wafers off the top of the pudding."

She smiled sheepishly and said, "The cookies taste better with just a little bit of pudding on the back of them."

"You are so weird," Lucy replied with a shake of her head. "Do you want banana pudding? I make it just like Nana does."

"Really?" Bonnie asked.

"Mmmhmm. I'll even make sure that it is more cookies than it is pudding."

"I would love that, Lucy," Bonnie said with a big smile.

John Gilbert walked into the kitchen wearing a fake smile. He didn't appreciate being summoned to the manor by Giuseppe's eldest son. He was the consigliere. He should be the one summoning Damon to his home. However, there were appearances that he needed to keep for the time being. Something was going on and he needed to get ahead of it. "Damon…"

Damon was brought out of his thought by John's voice. He couldn't stand the man. However, as Giuseppe's number two he might actual know where the man was hiding. It was high time he put his cards on the table. "Thank you for coming, John. Let's go to the study so that we can talk."

John nodded. "Of course."

Damon kissed Bonnie's cheek. "I will see you later, bunny."

She nodded. "Okay."

Tyler shared a look with Bonnie as Damon and John walked out of the kitchen together.

Damon led the older man into the study. He closed the door behind him and motioned to the couch. "Please, have a seat. Do you want something to drink?"

John lifted an eyebrow at the younger man's cordial behavior. He shook his head. "No, I had a few drinks while I was at dinner with my brother."

He nodded and then poured a glass of bourbon for himself. He sat down across from John and said, "Do you know where my father is, John?"

The question was simple enough but his inflection suggested that it had a hidden depth. John said, "He's in Milazzo."

Damon asked, "Have you spoken to him lately?"

John's spine straightened as his mind raced. He said, "I haven't spoken to him for about week. Giuseppe said he wanted to take some time to himself. Has something happened?"

"My father is wisely hiding from me," he said.

The older man's eyes narrowed and he huffed out a laugh. "Giuseppe has no reason to hide from you."

Damon moved to the edge of the seat and said, "My father attacked my wife in this house three weeks ago. He beat her black and blue. Giuseppe has every reason to hide from me. He trained me…he knows very well what I will do when I find him."

That statement hung in the silent room like a cloud of foul air. The two men stared unflinchingly at one another for several minutes.

John adjusted his tie as he tried to figure out his next move. He couldn't believe that Giuseppe had put them all in this position. However, now he understood Mason's visit. Only now, he wondered which of his employers Mason was representing at the time. "I don't know where he is, Damon. I haven't spoken to Giuseppe in well over a week. I assumed that he was just spending time with one of his mistresses."

"We're checking into all of his usual haunts. We will find him eventually," Damon promised with an edge to his voice.

"I am sorry for what happened to your wife. She is a sweet girl. She didn't deserve that. However, there may be some who resist what you are planning, Damon. This must be handled with the utmost tact. Let me help you work out a truce with Giuseppe."

"A truce?" he asked.

John nodded quickly. "Giuseppe has been thinking about stepping down for some time. Let me speak with him before you do anything hasty. The best thing for this family is a peaceful transition of power. Don't you think?"

Something in John's voice left Damon feeling unsettled. He never trusted the man. John thought too highly of himself. Damon knew that John envisioned himself as the boss one day. However, letting this play out had its merits. He would learn if John could remain a part of the organization or if he was too firmly in Giuseppe's camp. Giuseppe was dead either way but he would gladly send John with him.

Damon nodded. "We will try this your way…"


	15. The Wolf's Den

It was a quarter til 11 o'clock when Tyler stepped out of the Salvatore Manor. The time had come for him to hand off his protection duties to Matt until 8 o'clock the following morning. Starting tomorrow, they would each work 12-hour shifts protecting Bonnie and Sarah. He popped a cigarette between his lips and lit it as he walked out to Matt's truck. Tyler climbed inside and closed the door to afford them a little privacy. Guards were always patrolling the property to protect the family from threats and the occasional rogue photographer. However, Alaric had assigned even more men to protect the house as they barreled into an uncertain future.

Tyler took a drag from his cigarette and said, "Bonnie had the staff set up a spot for you in the alcove down the hall from her bedroom. She made sure that it is stocked with snacks and shit in case you get hungry while you're on duty. You also need to stop by the study to see Zach before you start your shift. He's going to give you access to the manor's external security cameras."

Matt nodded in understanding. His eyebrows furrowed in concern as his thumbs drummed against the steering wheel. "How is she?"

He huffed and shook his head. "You know, Bon. She's the fucking Rock of Gibraltar as always. She is more concerned with making sure we lock shit down. How did your trip to see your gramps go?"

Matt hadn't expected anything else from Bonnie but he had been worried for her all the same. He said, "He was able to get our guy in Lompoc to hand over the visitor's logs for Shane. Freddie has been visiting him every week for months now."

Tyler cursed, "Cazzo traditore. I'll tell Bonnie in the morning. We might have to clip him inside the prison. Do we have anyone on the inside that can make it happen?"

"Gramps already suggested having my uncle Robbie take care of him. Ain't like he's ever getting out of there anyway," Matt said with a shrug.

Matt had the distinction of both sides of his family being connected to the Salvatore organization. He was part of the fourth generation of Maxwell men to work for them. However, he and the Salvatore boys were distant cousins through his mother's side of the family. His mother's family had been loyal to the Salvatores until Domenico betrayed Alonzo Lockwood. It hadn't taken much effort to convince Rob Sr. to change his allegiance to the Benedetto family.

He nodded and said, "I'll talk to Bonnie in the morning and get back to you. Hopefully, you'll have a quiet night here. Call me if anything happens."

"I'm not going to take offense to you implying that I can't handle anything that might happen on my watch."

"It's not like that," Tyler replied with a pinched expression.

The blond man chuckled. "I'm just fucking with you. Get out of here. It'll be eight o'clock before you know it. We both know you're not a morning person."

"You're an asshole." Tyler shook his head with a mirthful expression as he climbed out of the truck. He walked down the winding driveway to his car and climbed inside.

Tyler felt exhaustion tugging at the back of his eyelids as he drove off the Salvatore property. However, he couldn't go home and fall into bed just yet. Tyler's father and uncles were waiting for him at his parents' house. He was sorely tempted to crash in his old bedroom after they finished talking. Driving home after the meeting sounded as if it would take more energy than he currently had to give. Unfortunately, while his body was ready to give out, his mind was working overtime.

The brooding young man was grateful that there wasn't much traffic at that time of night. Therefore, it didn't take him very long to make it out to his family's house in Santa Clarita. He parked on the street since the driveway was already full. Tyler killed the engine and sniffed his shirt. Of course, he smelled like an ashtray. He groaned as he searched his glove compartment for a bottle of Febreeze. Tyler settled for a can of body spray instead. He spritzed his clothes hoping that it would mask the cigarette smell. Afterwards he climbed out of the car and headed up to the house.

He walked around to reach the house's side door and entered the kitchen. Tyler smiled seeing his mother loading the dishwasher in her bathrobe. "Hey, Ma."

Carol turned around at the sound of her only son's voice. "Hi, honey. Are you hungry? I was just putting away the leftovers."

He locked the door and shook his head. "No, I'm not hungry. I ate while I was working tonight. Where is everyone?"

"They're downstairs in the basement waiting for you. Are you sure that you aren't hungry? I can heat up a little something for you. I made stuffed pork chops, au gratin potatoes, and roasted asparagus."

He looked tempted for just a moment and then shook his head. They had business to get to downstairs. He pecked her cheek and said, "Nah. I should get down there. Put some aside for me and I'll grab it on the way out."

Carol smiled triumphantly. "I'll hide a plate for you in the vegetable crisper to keep it away from Brady."

"Thanks, Ma."

She wrinkled her nose and lightly slapped his cheek. "What did I tell you about smoking cigarettes? You wanna get throat cancer like my father?"

Tyler winced and said, "I'm trying to quit, Ma. I promise."

"You better," Carol said.

"You'll probably be in bed before I leave. I love you. And I'll see you for Thanksgiving. I probably won't make it here until after dinner," Tyler explained as he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator.

She nodded in understanding. Carol wasn't involved in the family business but she kept her ears open when the men were talking. She said, "I love you, too. How is Bonnie doing?"

Tyler paused with his hand on the basement door. He didn't know how much his father had told her. He said, "She's doing okay."

"You keep her safe…okay?" Carol whispered. She turned around to hide her pained expression from Tyler.

Tyler stood there dumbstruck for a moment. An uncomfortable feeling settled into his bones and suddenly he had questions that he didn't want to be answered. He headed downstairs to the soundproof basement. The huge space had been finished with drywall and hardwood flooring years ago. It served as a meeting room/man cave for the Lockwood men. However, Brady's room and the gym also occupied the space.

Brady was sitting on an L-shaped leather couch that ran the length of two walls. He was finishing what was undoubtedly a second helping of Carol's dinner. Brady nodded to acknowledge his nephew when he walked into the room.

Mason turned off the television and moved to sit on the couch with his younger brother. He was exhausted and still had to go home to his wife and children. However, rest would be in short supply in the coming weeks.

Richard stood up from his recliner and clapped his son on the back. "How did the handoff with Matthew go?"

"It was fine," Tyler replied. He took a sip of his beer. "He's posted down the hall from Bonnie and Damon's bedroom. He also has a clear sightline to Sarah and Bella's room. He knows what to do if anything happens."

"That's good," Richard said. He trusted Matt almost as much as he trusted his son. The boy would protect Bonnie and Sarah from any threats—internal or external.

Tyler plopped down on the couch. "Bonnie's worried that we've got a problem and she's not wrong. Damon called John Gilbert out to the manor tonight. They were locked up tight in the study for well over an hour before Zach joined them. The three of them were still in the office when I left."

The frustration rolling off Richard's body was practically palpable. In the beginning, they had all been pleased when Giuseppe named John his consigliere. John's father, Jonathan, had been one of the first moles Alonzo helped Miss Emily plant in the Salvatore organization. Jonathan had been utterly devoted to the Benedetto family from that moment forward. However, his youngest son was more self-serving. John played his part but it was obvious that he longed for more power.

"Senior has similar concerns about Freddie," Richard revealed. He had spent over an hour talking to the elder statesman of the Donovan family.

Tyler nodded. "Matt told me that Freddie has been visiting Shane like clockwork."

The older man looked to his younger brother. "What was your read on John when you went to his house last week?"

Mason frowned and said, "He said all the right things but that is par for the course for John. He is too smart to say anything that we could use against him. Besides, was more interested in talking about his half-wit nephew. He was fishing around for information about Ric's daughters."

Tyler snorted. "He can't be serious. Josie and Lizzie won't even turn 15 for a few more weeks. There's no way Ric will even think of arranging a marriage for either of them."

Richard shook his head and said, "It's not too early to lay the groundwork for it. Giuseppe and Sheila had been working out the details for Damon and Bonnie's marriage long before she got sick. The cancer just sped up the timetable. John's looking for a way to secure their position in the organization. He knows that Ric and Damon both favor our family more than they favor his. Marriage between a Gilbert and a Salvatore would cement their importance…might even change Ric's mind about who should take his place as underboss in the future."

Mason was uncomfortable with how easily they traded the lives of their daughters and sisters. He had three girls of his own and couldn't imagine selling them off like cattle to gain a better jockeying position in the family. Yet his older brother had done that very thing to his only daughter.

The official story was that Lexi had fallen in love with one of Big John Benedetto's grandsons. Everyone believed that Cesare and Lexi met while she spent the summer with the Loiaconos in Milazzo. In truth, Sheila and Big John had orchestrated the marriage. The Lockwood family was Sheila's greatest ally. The marriage between Lexi and Cesare was meant to bind the two families in a more permanent way.

Mason said, "John might be a problem but it's mine to sort out. Bonnie told me to start looking into how many of our people are still loyal to the Benedetto family. I think I'll start with John's sycophants. We can't risk him outing Bonnie or us to the Salvatores to gain their favor."

Brady suggested, "You should try Freddie first. He's been suckling from John's teat since he became consigliere. If anyone knows which side John is playing, it will be him. Besides, it would be killing two birds with one stone since we need to know about his meetings with Shane."

Richard nodded in agreement. He had been thinking the same thing. Freddie would be a hard nut to crack but everyone had a breaking point. "I'll get drinks with Grayson after work tomorrow. He's always been the more sensible Gilbert. The rest of you are going to need to divide and conquer to get face-to-face time with all our people. We can't leave Bonnie in that house with Damon if there is even a chance that someone might tell him the truth."

"He wouldn't hurt, Bonnie. He wouldn't risk war with Big John," Tyler said confidently.

Brady scoffed. "Killing her while Giuseppe is on the run would be the perfect cover. He could blame it all on his father. It would get his old man and his wife out of the way in one fell swoop."

Richard could practically see the dark thoughts in his son's head. He decided to put his mind at ease. They couldn't afford for Tyler to do anything rash. He said, "I don't like Damon but he does love Bonnie. It's just in the screwed up way that all Salvatores show their love for the opposite sex. He wouldn't kill Bonnie if he learned of her betrayal. However, it doesn't mean that she wouldn't face consequences for her actions. He could lock her up in that fortress of a house and there wouldn't be much we could do about it."

Tyler's expression hardened. Giuseppe had done enough to isolate Bonnie from her family. He didn't want to imagine her being even more alone. "What should I do?"

"You worry about keeping Bonnie safe. The moment we think her safety has been compromised, we will pull her out of there," Richard promised.

"She won't leave without Sarah," he replied. He knew how much Bonnie loved that little girl. She had fallen in love with Sarah from the start. The baby had reminded Bonnie so much of herself—both abandoned by their mothers.

"I know. It's one of the reasons I was happy when she adopted Sarah. She is the girl's mother in the eyes of the law. Bonnie and Damon can fight for custody like any other disgruntled couple."

Tyler nodded but he didn't like playing fast and loose with Bonnie's life. He still worried that she had a Damon-sized blindspot. Normally, Tyler trusted her judgment and ability to plan for the unforeseen. He was scared that Damon would catch her off guard. However, he trusted his father and he trusted himself. Tyler would gladly carve Damon's heart from his chest to protect her. Fortunately, he was in the perfect position to do that.

Richard looked at his watch and rubbed at his tired eyes. "I am going to turn in for the night. We'll meet back here tomorrow night. Call the burner if anything important comes up before then."

The younger men all agreed. They knew that he was burning the candle at both ends just as they were. However, Richard had a real job at Velocita. He was the director of marketing. His presence would be missed if he was out of the office for any length of time.

Mason waited until he was sure that his older brother was on the main floor. He lifted an eyebrow at Tyler and asked, "Did you and Bonnie talk after I left?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

Brady chuckled. "He's trying to ask if you are banging the boss."

Tyler's jaw ticked in anger. He growled, "Watch your mouth."

Brady's smile grew even more. "You know that I wouldn't disrespect Bonnie. I was just trying to gauge your reaction. You've got it bad for her. Don't you?"

Mason was certain that Tyler's feelings for Bonnie weren't one-sided. Normally, he wouldn't interfere with his nephew's personal life. Unfortunately, they were on the edge of either getting everything they had been working for or plunging into a full on mob war. Now wasn't time for the two twenty-somethings to figure out their feelings for each other.

"If you want to keep Bonnie safe…then you keep this thing platonic until we're out of the shit," Mason said. "Damon might forgive her for going behind his back to protect her family. But you know he wouldn't forgive her for sleeping with another man. And he'd kill you."

"I'm not afraid of that asshole," Tyler snapped.

Mason said, "You're a fool not to fear a man with wounded pride, Ty. Damon is a selfish son of a bitch but Bonnie belongs to him. He'll kill you if he even suspects that you are more than just friends with his wife."

The younger man huffed but conceded, "He doesn't even know that we are really friends. I mean I am sure that he remembers us playing together as kids but he thinks that is all in the past now."

"Then you understand what I am saying to you. You are my only nephew and I am not about to lose you to that asshole's jealous rage. If you want Bonnie then you need to be patient."

"I'm with Elena," he argued weakly.

Mason rolled his eyes but decided not to comment on that doomed pairing. He said, "If you want Bonnie then you need to be patient. Damon isn't capable of changing. If he were then he would have done so already. His whore has been taunting Bonnie for years. He knows that now, yet Katherine is still holed up in the Salvatore villa in Tenerife. Bonnie will eventually grow tired of his bullshit. Just give her some time. In the mean time, keep your head in the game."

Tyler quietly considered what his uncle was saying to him. He was right that putting Bonnie in more danger was selfish and stupid. "You know Lucy was asking about you."

Mason asked, "Me?"

He chuckled. "No, she thinks you're an idiot. She was asking about Uncle Brady."

Brady raised an eyebrow as he thought about Lucy. He hadn't seen her in a couple of years but she had always been a smokeshow. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. She thinks that you are hot. She's definitely DTF. There was talk of tingles and fucking against walls," the younger man explained.

Mason huffed. He looked at his younger brother and said, "She's crazy. She pulled a gun on me this afternoon."

Brady grinned. It always looked so unnatural when he smiled. Therefore, a full-fledged grin was disturbing. "I like em crazy. How long is she in town?"

"She's here until Giuseppe is dead. If Damon won't put a freaking bullet in his old man's head, she will."

"Give her my number, Ty," Brady replied. He was seeing a couple of women casually but it was nothing serious. He liked keeping his options open.

The elder brother frowned deeply. "She's crazy and you know better than to shit where you eat, Brady. When you piss her off, there could be blowback for all of us. And you are going to piss her off—it's just part of your charm."

Tyler laughed as he took out his phone. He said, "You're just mad that she never gave you the time of day. Lucy has always been impervious to your bullshit. Anyway, Luce told me to give you her number. I'll text it to you."

"He's just not used to women being able to ignore the lure of those beautiful green peepers."

Mason rolled his eyes. "Says my blue eyed baby brother. I am happily married to a crazy woman of my own. I don't need more problems in my life. I'm just saying that Lucy is violent and crazy. Don't call me when she stabs your ass for looking at another woman."

Brady's phone buzzed when he received the next message from Tyler. He said, "I'm going to go give her a call."

"Seriously?" Mason asked.

"Yeah. She is probably foaming at the mouth because of Giuseppe and Damon. I could go for an angry fuck right about now," Brady replied. He walked down the hall to his bedroom.

Mason just shook his head and stood up. He didn't even know why he tried with Brady sometimes. Fortunately, his brother was all business where it counted. "I'm about to head out. Are you leaving, too?"

Tyler said, "Nah. I think I might hit the gym."

The older man gave his nephew a knowing look. He clapped Tyler on the back and said, "You might want to consider having a conversation with your old man. He's going to see your Saint Christopher's medal around Bonnie's neck and come to the same conclusion that I did. Don't blindside him on this, Ty."

He ran a frustrated hand over his head. "I don't even know what the fuck this."

Mason gave him a skeptical look.

"What? I don't."

He slowly sat back down. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Tyler glared. "Are we going to paint our fucking nails and eat ice cream, too?"

Mason smacked the back of his head. "Don't be a wise ass. This isn't just your life on the line. You know none of us would be able to just let it go if Damon had you clipped."

The younger man knew that his uncle was speaking the truth. He groaned, "Bonnie and I kissed the night she came to my house. She was crying. I was ready to murder Giuseppe. It just happened. I know that sounds lame but it is the truth. It just happened. It didn't go any further than that because she was in so much pain. We didn't talk about the kiss after that night. We just pretended like nothing happened until this afternoon. I was beginning to think that maybe the kiss was driven by adrenaline, you know…"

"This afternoon?" Mason asked. He braced himself for the worst.

Tyler rolled his eyes. "We kissed again. This time it was just…I don't know. Different. It was different. It wasn't rushed. It wasn't passionate. It was just…fucking right."

The older man sat there pensively for a few minutes.

Tyler became irate. "You ask if I want to talk but then you go as quiet as a mouse!"

"I'm thinking," he huffed. "You should try it more often. Maybe use that fancy college degree my brother paid for."

"Yes, I'm sure my double major in criminal justice and political science would really help me with this shit," he quipped with a small smirk.

Mason chuckled deeply. "I will never understand what you were thinking."

"It was meant to be ironic. Then I realized that I actually liked both subjects," he explained sheepishly. Tyler had considered going to law school for a minute. However, the rigors of law school and his real job wouldn't have meshed well. Instead, he took a corporate security position at Velocita.

He smiled wryly. "Look it seems like you aren't sure what's happening between you and Bonnie. She's married and you are dating Elena. You both have some things to sort out first. I'm all for what's good for the goose being good for the gander. Except in this situation, the goose is a homicidal asshole that dropped his first body at 14 years old. You don't need those types of problems unless you're both sure."

Tyler grimaced but nodded. "You're right. I know that you are right. The last thing Bonnie needs to be is the other woman. She's had enough of being someone's second or third choice."

Mason said, "I am glad that you are seeing my point of view. For a minute, I thought I was going to have to get Dickie down here."

He chuckled. Few people dared to call his father by his childhood moniker. Richard might have the persona of a boring corporate suit. However, everyone in the family had seen the brutal lethality he possessed. "I don't need Pop losing sleep over anything else."

Brady walked out of the back smelling of cologne. He had already changed clothes.

Mason asked, "Where are you going?"

"Lucy and I are going out for drinks," Brady replied.

Mason groaned. "Looks like I'm 1 for 2 tonight. Let's hope I fare better with Freddie in the morning. I'm going home before Vick sends out a search party for me."

Brady chuckled. "I'll walk out with you. You can express all of your freaking agita about my situation."

Tyler shook his head at his uncles as they argued on their way upstairs. He took out his phone and pulled up Bonnie's number. He considered calling just to check on her. Tyler sighed and dropped the phone onto the coffee table. It was as if his uncle's lecture had just gone in one ear and out the other.

He stood and walked to Brady's room. He decided to borrow some workout clothes. He needed to burn off whatever was eating at him before he had to go back to the Manor in the morning.


	16. You Don't Know Me

A/N: I just want to reassure everyone that this is a Bamon story. But these are two broken people that have been lying to each other from the very start of their marriage. They don't really know one another. It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. But it will get better...eventually.

* * *

Damon stood in the doorway as he watched Bonnie get ready for the day. She was dressed in a sleeveless sapphire colored sheath dress that fell just above the knees. It hugged her curves perfectly and displayed a tasteful amount of cleavage. However, his eyes were trained on her face as she used makeup to cover her healing bruises. He hated that she had to go to such lengths to cover what his father did. It didn't help that Damon was no closer to finding the elusive bastard. He wished that Bonnie had told him about the incident as soon as it happened. Her decision to wait meant that Giuseppe had a two-week head start that was beginning to look insurmountable. They were working on the assumption that he was in Milazzo. However, all they really knew was that he had been there a couple weeks ago. It was anyone's guess where he was now. For all Damon knew, his father could be hiding in Los Angeles. The old mobster had plenty of ways to enter the country without going through the proper channels.

Bonnie had been studying Damon's expression in the mirror for a few minutes. This was the first she had seen of him since John Gilbert's arrival last night. Damon had stayed in the study with his father's consigliere for a few hours. However, her husband left the house after he finished meeting with John. He didn't return until well after Bonnie had fallen asleep. She wondered if his absence from their bed was for business or pleasure. She asked, "Is everything okay?"

Damon smiled to cover his surly mood and walked up behind Bonnie. He wrapped arms around her waist and said, "Everything is fine. I was just thinking about my schedule for today. I have to make an appearance at Velocita even if it is the day before Thanksgiving. According to Rose, I have been MIA for too long. I can't tell if she is telling me the truth or if she's just tired of doing my job for me."

The girl chuckled quietly as she finished putting on her lipstick. "I am sure it is a little of both. In any case, she is right about you making an appearance. People will start to talk if you are out of contact for much longer. You know it doesn't take much to get the rumor mill churning at Velocita."

He kissed the side of Bonnie's neck and said, "You are supposed to side with your husband against everyone else."

If Bonnie were made of weaker stock, she would have tensed at his playful assertion. Instead, she merely turned in Damon's arms so that they were facing one another. She took his face into her hands while wearing a gentle smile. "You're about to force your father into early retirement. He could easily call the board together for a no confidence vote out of spite. You can't give him any ammunition, Damon."

Some small part of Damon wondered if Bonnie would suspect his part in Giuseppe's death. He would never tell her the truth. However, he was slowly learning that his wife kept certain knowledge to herself. His mind went to the recording that Sheila left Bonnie and the text messages that Katherine had been sending for God only knows how long. She only shared the information when it was advantageous for her. Damon hated to think of it that way because it assigned some level of deviousness that his sweet bunny just didn't possess. He pecked her lips and asked, "What are you going to do today?"

"I need to stop by the beach house to pick up Grams' roasting pan. Then I am going to the church. I might do a little Christmas shopping, too. Afterwards I am getting lunch with Lucy. I'll be back here after that because my mom will be here to help me cook. We have a lot of prep work to do before we can get started."

He lifted an eyebrow when Bonnie mentioned going to church on a Wednesday morning. Damon wasn't particularly religious but he had grown up in the Catholic Church just as Bonnie had. "What does my wife have to confess?" he asked teasingly.

Bonnie laughed lightly. "I am sure there are a few things for which I should be asking absolution. However, today I'm only stopping by to see Father Finn. He called yesterday to say he has the wish lists for the two families that we're adopting for Christmas."

Damon's eyes widened as he remembered that Bonnie had asked for his help last month. "The turkeys for Thanksgiving…"

"Don't worry about it, Damon. I took care of it while I was in Shadow Hills. Father Finn has two truckloads of turkeys and hams courtesy of the Bennett family. He has already handed out the majority of them to the less fortunate. The rest will be cooked to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving."

The use of her maiden name didn't escape Damon's notice. It was her subtle way of acknowledging that she had used her own money to pay for everything. Sheila had established a veritable firewall between the two families' finances before Damon and Bonnie wed. He couldn't touch a cent of the Bennett fortune. Moreover, Damon controlled her family's North American smuggling operation, but the lion's share of the profits got kicked up to Bonnie. He said, "I'm sorry, Bunny."

She smiled. "It's fine. I had free time on my hands. It was easy to just put in a few calls to local wholesalers."

Damon said, "Let's do the same thing for Christmas."

Bonnie looked genuinely surprised. Damon never really took much interest in her charitable work with the church. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I know it's important to you and it is the season for giving, right?"

She leaned up and kissed Damon passionately.

Afterwards, he grinned like a Cheshire cat. He tugged on the zipper at the back of her dress. "I'll be charitable more often if it gets this sort of reaction from you."

Bonnie laughed as she batted his hands away and slid by him on her way out of the bathroom. She called over her shoulder, "We don't have time for that this morning, Damon. You have to go to work and I have to go to see Father Finn."

He followed her into their walk-in closet. He gasped in mock horror. "There is always time to make love to my beautiful wife."

She giggled while stepping into a pair of pumps. "As soon as we get started Rose will show up to drag you to Velocita. Or worse, Lucy will finally get back and come looking for me."

Damon knew that Bonnie was right. Rose was downstairs having a cup of coffee right now. He had maybe ten minutes before she came to collect him. They would already be on the road if not for his insistence on seeing Bonnie before he left. He asked, "Where is Lucy anyway? I thought that she was going to be staying here."

Bonnie put on the sapphire and diamond tennis bracelet that Rose purchased on Damon's behalf. Then she searched for the matching earrings gifted to her last Christmas. Bonnie said, "She went out to have drinks with Tyler's uncle."

"That was quick," he commented. Not that he was surprised. Not many men would turn down a woman who had Lucy's looks. He and Lucy had flirted when they were younger. However, he was grateful that it never went any further than that.

She switched her belongings to the purse she selected for the day. "Well, you know Lucy. She doesn't do anything by half measures. I should get going. I have a lot to do before this afternoon. I will see you when you get home from work."

"You look beautiful." Damon walked over and kissed her. "Try not to overdo it. Please?"

She smiled. "You have my word that I will not push myself too hard. I'll come home when I start to feel tired."

He patted her on the backside. "Alright, I guess that you are free to go then."

"I love you, Damon," Bonnie said on her way out of the bedroom.

"I love you, too."

When Bonnie walked out of the bedroom, Tyler was already waiting for her. He had arrived fifteen minutes ago to relieve Matt. His brown eyes darkened as he drank in Bonnie's appearance. He licked his lips without even thinking about it.

Bonnie's cheeks heated up when she saw Tyler's reaction to her. She said, "Hey."

"Hey," he replied. "Have you eaten breakfast?"

"Not yet. I don't really have time to get anything right now. I have quite the to-do list this morning," she answered.

He nodded. "I will bring the car around front for you."

"Thanks." Bonnie went downstairs to the kitchen where the kids were all eating breakfast around a long farmhouse table made of redwood. "Good morning," she said cheerfully.

A chorus of 'morning' came from little food-filled mouths.

She stopped behind Sarah's chair and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm leaving for a little bit but you are going to have such fun with Monique today. You can call me at any time if you want me to come home. Okay?"

Sarah looked up at her mother with a smile and nodded in agreement. "Okay, Mama."

Bonnie was glad that her little girl seemed more secure around her cousins. She pecked the top of Sarah's head again. "Be a good girl while I'm gone."

"I will," she promised with a giggle.

Bonnie walked out of the house just as Tyler pulled up with the car. She climbed into the backseat without waiting for him to open the door. They were on a clock. She needed to be back around lunchtime as she had told Damon. She wouldn't classify her husband as controlling. However, he had been raised in the old ways. He liked to know where his wife was at all times. Their current tenuous situation made it more of a necessity than a luxury. Despite their issues, Damon's concern for her safety was genuine.

Tyler passed Bonnie a travel mug and an insulated lunch bag. "I brought breakfast for you. I stayed the night at my parents' house. My mom was happy to put something together for you."

Bonnie smiled a little as she inspected the items. The travel mug was filled with peppermint tea. The lunch bag contained two blueberry scones, fruit salad, and Greek yogurt. She took a sip of the tea. "Thank you, Ty."

He said, "We gotta keep you and the kiddos fed, right?"

"Right," she replied. Bonnie tried to ignore the warm fuzzy feeling overtaking her. "I'm not going to be able to eat all of this. Do you want one of these scones?"

He chuckled. "Sure."

She picked up the scone with a napkin and passed it to Tyler. As Bonnie dug into the freshly prepared fruit salad, she hoped that her morning sickness wouldn't rear its ugly head.

Tyler bit into the lemon glazed pastry as he sped away from the Salvatore Manor. He said, "Everyone is waiting for us at the beach house."

Bonnie's attitude shifted on a dime. She lifted an eyebrow at the mention of that morning's activities. "Good. Who is it? Matt wasn't able to tell me much because we couldn't get any privacy. He just said that we found one."

"It's Freddie…"

The young woman's face took on a pensive expression at this unexpected news. Frederick had always been loyal. Her grandmother had trusted him implicitly while on her deathbed. Bonnie wondered if his allegiance changed with her grams' death. How many people had abandoned their duty to her family because she was at the helm now? "Well, that's not good news. Does that mean that we should be worried about John Gilbert, too?"

"I don't know. Mason didn't give me very many details when we talked. He only said that you weren't going to like what they found. Mason scooped up Freddie during his morning run. We couldn't wait any longer after finding out that he's been visiting Shane in prison. Mason made sure it was a clean grab with no witnesses. We're lucky that idiot likes to go running at 4:45 AM every morning like clockwork," he explained.

She sighed and rubbed at her temples. Bonnie would have a tough hill to climb if her relative inactivity with the business had caused people to lose faith in her family. Richard and Mason had been managing their people in her stead. They made sure that everyone was compensated well. The information about the Salvatore family's organization had been flowing up the chain as it should. It was the same way that her grandmother had run things for years. However, Sheila had earned a level of respect from the men that Bonnie had not. Perhaps they viewed her as a naïve little girl as her husband and his family did.

Tyler met her eyes in the rearview mirror. "Hey. I've got your back, Bon. I'll do what needs to be done…even if that means getting rid of John Gilbert. I've never liked the son of a bitch anyway."

"What about Elena?" Bonnie didn't want to put him in an awkward position with his girlfriend. No matter the state of their relationship, she knew that Tyler loved Elena. "You can leave the job to Mason or Brady if it comes to that."

"She's never been particularly close to John. Besides, you know where my loyalty lies. I will choose you every time," he swore.

She smiled in response and then went back to eating breakfast. Bonnie knew that Tyler was talking about his loyalty to the Benedetto family. She selfishly wished that his earnest words had another meaning. Briefly, she thought about how they made out like teenagers yesterday. Neither of them had let it go any further than that. However, being with Tyler was the first time that she had felt truly loved in a very long time.

The drive out to Sheila's beach house was a little over 40 minutes long. However, it gave her time to think through their current predicament.

When they arrived at the beach house, Tyler climbed out of the SUV and opened the door for Bonnie.

She nodded in thanks and walked into the house with Tyler.

The young man set the security alarm so that no one could enter undetected. They couldn't risk any unexpected visitors. Fortunately, Bonnie had never seen fit to give Damon keys to the beach house. He said, "They're upstairs."

Bonnie walked up to the second floor and then headed up to the attic. Her grandmother had done little more than soundproof the cavernous space and install easy to clean non-porous floors. Sheila had renovated the space with exactly this purpose in mind. This side of the business was ugly but necessary.

A couch, an antique desk, and a couple of chairs were the only furniture in the room. However, she was happy to see that the Lockwood brothers had thought to put plastic down to contain the mess. However, she had not expected anything less. They were professionals after all. Mason had many purposes in the organization but this was Brady's specialty.

Bonnie carefully surveyed Frederick's bloodied and bruised body. Mason and Brady had strung the man up from the attic's structural beams before torturing him. They had done a top-notch job judging by Freddie's current state. She glanced at the bloody drill bits lying on the floor. It took skill and years of training to learn how to torture your victim without killing them prematurely. Fortunately, Brady and Mason had that down to an art form.

Lucy was sitting atop the antique desk drinking a cup of coffee. "Morning, cuz."

"Good morning," Bonnie chirped in a chipper voice. She kissed Lucy's cheek. "Did you have a good night?"

The older woman smirked and looked over at Brady. "You know I did. I'll tell you all about it over lunch."

Bonnie patted Lucy's arm with a fond smile and then walked up to Frederick. She asked, "What do we have here? It appears that Christmas has come early for me this year."

Tyler walked up behind her and huffed. "I can't believe I missed out on all the fun. I was looking forward to making this fucker squeal."

The green-eyed girl removed her cardigan and placed it on a chair along with her purse. She squeezed Tyler's arm and said, "Maybe the next one."

Brady was sitting on the couch eating a bowl of Fruit Loops. His white tank top was smeared with blood. "I'm sure there will be more than one. We have a small insurrection on our hands. It's nothing we can't squash quickly. It isn't as wide spread as we feared."

Mason nodded in agreement. He already had ideas about how to handle their situation. He asked, "Where does Damon think you are now?"

They were all walking a tight rope here. His job was to protect Bonnie from all threats and that included her temperamental husband.

Lucy scoffed but didn't say anything. She hated that Damon had Bonnie on such a short leash. She also felt guilty for not spending more time with her younger cousin recently. Lucy thought that she had been doing the right thing by not causing friction with Bonnie's in-laws. She had recognized that Giuseppe was trying to muscle the Benedettos out of the girl's life. She didn't interfere when Bonnie did not object to the move. However, Lucy didn't care what Damon wanted going forward. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Bonnie sat down on the arm of the couch and crossed her legs. She said, "He knows that I am here. Only he thinks I am looking for my grandmother's roasting pan before going to see Father Finn. Oh, I should pick that up before we leave. I have a massive glazed ham to cook in it."

Tyler said, "I'll make sure that we grab it on our way out."

"Thanks." She asked, "What do we know?"

Mason said, "He hasn't just forgotten that his loyalty lies with you. Freddie has also decided to feed information about Damon to Giuseppe. He's the reason that the old man learned that Damon was making a power play to take the family from him. Freddie has been feeding information to Giuseppe for at least a year now. Looks like he went running to the boss the moment Damon started making moves to consolidate his power. However, it doesn't seem like he told Giuseppe anything about what we've been doing. Brady pressed him hard on that and he denied it."

Bonnie looked to Brady and asked, "How hard?"

"I pressed hard enough that he gave up two more people that are siding with Giuseppe over us. One of those people just happens to be his younger brother," he replied.

Bonnie nodded in satisfaction. Freddie practically helped raise Raphael. There's no way he would rat out his brother unless he was at his lowest. "What about John Gilbert? Is his loyalty to us in question?"

Mason nodded. "He intends to join Giuseppe in Milazzo. He wants to take over once the old man kicks the bucket. He's also not opposed to hastening Giuseppe's trip to the great beyond now that Damon has turned on him."

Bonnie's eyes darkened dangerously. She said, "That beady eyed snake. I want him gone, Mason. John could expose all of us to Giuseppe or worse Damon."

Brady asked, "When?"

"I want him gone before Damon takes out Giuseppe. But it can't look like a hit. I won't start a war to cover my actions the way that Giuseppe did."

Mason nodded in agreement. Freddie had his own crew but John was big game. His death would have repercussions. He asked, "Should we make it look like an accident?"

Brady suggested, "A home invasion gone wrong. His affinity for whores has exposed him before."

"What about a drug overdose? John's been doing party drugs since he started fucking 20-year-olds," Tyler said. He had to pay off more than a few girls to keep them from sharing pictures of John partying.

She hummed. "Maybe or a suicide. We are approaching the anniversary of Isobel's death and Christmas is right around the corner. You know the holidays are always the hardest for those who are grieving. April and Violet barely speak to him now. Perhaps it has all become too much for him. Figure out which option can be accomplished quickly and cleanly."

Mason nodded in understanding. "I will have something for you by the time I return from Milazzo."

She nodded at Mason and then turned to look at their bound associate. Bonnie's eyes narrowed dangerously as she regarded Freddie's bloody visage. Then she removed a stiletto blade from a sheath that had been hidden inside her bra.

Brady lifted an eyebrow at the hiding place but remained silent. However, he did share a look with Lucy before going back to eating his cereal.

Bonnie walked up to the bound man and thrust the blade into his abdomen. She twisted the knife slowly and stared into his eyes as he screamed. "You could have cost my husband his life, traditore," she hissed.

"Please," he tried to beg. "John made me do it. He threatened to tell the boss that I was working for your family."

She shushed him as she removed the blade from his stomach. Bonnie then rammed the blade into Freddie's thigh. "You could have gone to Mason or Richard for help. No, you chose John's side because you thought he was the better bet."

Freddie didn't bother refuting the claim. John had convinced him that Bonnie was a child incapable of wielding the power Sheila left in her hands.

Bonnie slowly enunciated, "You. Were. Wrong."

The girl's verdant eyes held an eerie darkness as she studied the man in front of her clinically. Giuseppe and Sheila disagreed on many aspects of childrearing. The Bennett matriarch had never raised her hand to Bonnie. A raised voice and sending the girl to her room was punishment enough. However, Sheila and Giuseppe agreed that their business wasn't meant for anyone with a weak stomach. The price for power was always blood. Sometimes it was the blood of their enemies. However, other times it would be the blood of their allies. Sheila ensured that her granddaughter would never need a man to help her protect what was hers.

Freddie mumbled. "Please. I'm sorry. I'll do anything. I can make this right."

"The time for mercy in this life has long since passed, Freddie. However, I promise to make it a quick death. I'm not a sadist by nature," she replied.

His eyes went wide as tears slipped down his cheeks. "No. Please, don't do this. I can help you. I can prove my worth to you!"

She looked at Tyler. "Cut him down."

Tyler removed his jacket and pulled out a pocketknife. He cut Freddie down and let his exhausted body collapse onto the floor.

"Please," he murmured.

"There is nothing I can do for you, Freddie. You picked the wrong horse. However, I am going to give Raph an opportunity to redeem himself. He's still young. He can earn his way back into my good graces. I hope that gives you some solace in your last moments," Bonnie said sincerely.

"Thank you," he murmured in resignation.

She walked up behind Freddie's weak body and grabbed him by the hair. She swiped the razor sharp blade across his throat in one smooth motion.

Blood gushed forward and sprayed the plastic sheeting covering the floor and nearby wall.

Bonnie released his body and watched him bleed out at her feet. Bonnie wasn't her grandmother, nor would she try to be. However, they would all learn that she wasn't the one to be fucked with.

Brady shook his head with a mirthful smile. This was the reason his family remained loyal to the Benedetto family. It wasn't because they feared retribution but because they respected the power. Sheila had been pulling Giuseppe's strings for years. He believed that Bonnie would do the same with Damon. Today, she had taken the first steps to doing just that.

Lucy knew that it was time for her to make Los Angeles her home. If Bonnie was about to make a move of this magnitude then she would need more than just the Lockwoods and Donovans watching her back. Giuseppe had inadvertently awakened a sleeping giant when he attacked her younger cousin.

Bonnie surveyed her handiwork and then held the blood soaked blade out toward Tyler. "Take the signet ring off his finger."

He quickly took the knife from Bonnie and offered her a towel. Tyler wrenched the gold ring from the man's finger. Freddie had proudly worn the ring for years. It would be easily recognizable to anyone in the family.

She meticulously cleaned Freddie's blood from her hands. "I'm going to go freshen up and then I will be ready to go."

Tyler watched Bonnie walk out of the room with a smile on his face. If it was possible, he loved her even more than he already had. He handed the bloody knife to Mason.

"I'll clean it and sharpen it for Bonnie," Mason said.

Brady slurped the milk from his bowl of cereal. "This was a great way to start the day."

Mason gave his brother a pointed look but he had to agree. He had believed in Bonnie because of the woman that raised her. However, it was nice to see her in action. He said, "I am glad that you are finished eating because we need to make Freddie disappear and get this place cleaned up. We're going to take him to DeCastro's funeral home for cremation after dark."

Tyler asked, "Do you need my help with anything?"

He shook his head. "No, we can handle all of this. You just keep Bonnie close to you. We'll see you later on at your old man's house."

The younger man nodded as he stepped into the attic's bathroom. He scrubbed away any trace of blood from his hands. He put on his suit jacket after exiting the bathroom.

Tyler grabbed Bonnie's purse and cardigan as he walked out of the attic. He went downstairs to the kitchen and searched the cabinets for the roasting pan Bonnie had mentioned earlier. Tyler knew that it was important to her even if it was also an excuse she fed to Damon.

He was just setting the pan on the counter when Bonnie walked into the room.

She said, "I don't think I got any of his blood on my dress. Do you see anything?"

Tyler watched as Bonnie slowly spun around in front of him. He walked up to her so that they were inches apart when she finally faced front again. He shook his head and said, "Not a spot on you."

Bonnie sighed in relief. "That's good news. I really didn't want to change clothes. I like this dress."

In a deep voice, he said, "I do, too. This shade of blue is a good color on you."

She bit her lip. "Thanks."

Tyler cupped her cheek. "I want to kiss you but…"

Bonnie followed his gaze up to the ceiling. "We shouldn't. I am about to go see Father Finn. He'll probably smell the adultery on me or something."

He barked out a genuine laugh. "Like the blind priest in _Little Nicky_?"

She laughed along with Tyler and nodded. She ran a hand down the buttons of Tyler's shirt. "Do you know where Damon went last night when he left the house?"

Tyler asked, "Do you really want to know?"

Bonnie said, "I wouldn't ask if I didn't…"

"Jesse drove him to the Claiborne so that he could meet up with Andie Starr. Jesse waited for him outside the room until 4 o'clock in the morning."

Bonnie wasn't surprised. Damon was probably stressed out after meeting with John Gilbert. Sex was always his way of blowing off steam. "Would it be wrong if I chose this dress with you in mind?"

Tyler's expression became more serious. He tangled his fingers in Bonnie's wavy hair and placed a kiss against the corner of her mouth. "Don't say things like that to me and then expect me not to kiss you."

"Yesterday, we said that we weren't going to do that again. Twice was enough, right? We've got it out of our systems," she whispered.

He rested his forehead against Bonnie's and said, "We lied."

Her green eyes darkened with desire. "We did," she agreed.

The pair jumped apart when Brady came lumbering down the stairs. He lifted an eyebrow at both of them but didn't question it. "I need a meat cleaver."

Bonnie rolled her eyes as she tried to slow her breathing. "You will not use my grandmother's good knives to hack up Freddie. Check out the utility room for a hacksaw or a hatchet. Everything you need should be in there along with ammonia and bleach to clean up."

"Okay. I'll head out there now," Brady replied. He gave Tyler and Bonnie one last knowing look before he went to the utility room.

"We should go, Ty. I can't keep Father Finn waiting," Bonnie said.

Tyler chuckled and picked up the roasting pan. "Come on. I'll let the windows down to see if we can air out the stench of our sins."

She rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of that statement. Bonnie put on her cardigan and grabbed her purse. "That won't work any better than cologne does to hide your smoking."

"You can smell that?" he asked as they walked out of the house. Tyler sniffed at his shoulder. "I hoped cologne would cover it better than the body spray did last night."

"Of course I can smell it. You smell like cigarettes and Tom Ford. One doesn't really cancel out the other," she explained.


	17. Same Script, Different Cast

Ric looked at his watch with a frown as he rode the elevator up to Damon's penthouse at the Rischard. He was meeting his younger brother and nephew for a working lunch. The trio needed to discuss the enlightening conversation Ric had with their uncle just an hour ago. If everything went as planned, Bruno and Giacomo might be able to intercept Giuseppe in the next few days. However, he was most relieved to have confirmation that his older brother was still in Milazzo. Ric could enjoy Thanksgiving with his family without the fear of Giuseppe popping up unannounced and unwelcomed.

The holiday was stressful enough with Jo and Abby being under the same roof. The two women were always civil with one another but there was a lot of history between them. Jo would never be able to escape the fact that she had been Alaric's second choice. Everyone in the family knew that Ric had wanted to marry Abby after she divorced Rudy. They also knew that Abby turned him down cold and proceeded to flee the country as if she were running from a pack of wolves. Despite rejecting Ric, Abby still spent the holidays at the Manor in order to be with Sheila and Bonnie. Ric and Abby would get into epic screaming matches that devolved into hate sex.

It would be putting it mildly to say that Ric took the rejection poorly. He had coped by throwing himself more fully into his work. Those were dark times for Alaric. He could admit now that he had reacted childishly. Instead of sulking, he should have chased after Abby. However, he spent the next few years whoring around the West Coast and crushing their family's enemies without mercy. Eventually, Giuseppe stepped in to put a stop to his pity party. Joshua Parker had been dangling his eldest daughter in front Giuseppe for quite some time. The mob boss had been divorced from Lilly for years. Everyone wondered why he hadn't remarried. Giuseppe wasn't interested in marrying Jo but he decided that she might be a good fit for Ric.

Alaric was ever the dutiful younger brother. He didn't object when Giuseppe suggested an arranged marriage. The Parker family hailed from a town not far from Milazzo. Their connections had helped the Salvatores increase their territory in Italy. Pulling them more firmly into the family seemed like a just reward. Ric and Jo actually dated for a year before they were married. While she wasn't the love of his life, he did fall in love with Jo. She was beautiful, smart, and ambitious. However, Jo's loyalty made him want to marry her. He knew that she would never betray him as Abby had. Somehow, that knowledge soothed his wounded pride.

In the beginning, he tried to be faithful to Jo. Abby had respected that and tried to keep her distance whenever she was in town for a visit. It worked for all of two years. Ric and Abby crossed paths by chance while he was in Milazzo on business. They barely made it through dinner with Big John Benedetto before falling into bed with each other. Thirteen years later, he has a wife, a mistress, five children, and two houses 30 minutes apart. Ric's whole life was a balancing act but he was too far down the road in both relationships to call it quits now.

Ric stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to Damon's penthouse. He knocked and waited for someone to open the door. His nephew's mistress lived in the penthouse whenever she was actually in Los Angeles. However, Damon also swept the penthouse for listening devices on a weekly basis. He never knew when he might need to use it for business. Sometimes driving all the way to the manor just wasn't an option.

Zach opened the door having shed his suit jacket and tie at some earlier point. He beckoned his older brother inside. "You're late. We started eating lunch without you."

Ric rolled eyes as he walked into the living room. He closed the door and asked, "Did you at least order something for me? I'm starving."

Damon was sitting on the couch while devouring an 18-ounce rib eye steak with all the sides. He motioned to a cloche-covered dish sitting on the coffee table. He said, "We wouldn't leave you hanging like that. I ordered one of their heart healthy options for you, Zio."

He scowled at his nephew while he took off his suit jacket. Jo and Abby were equally worried about his health. His wife cooked heart healthy meals from a cookbook his cardiologist suggested. However, Abby forced him to eat a gluten free paleo diet whenever he stayed at their house. "I'll kick your ass and take your steak if you did."

The raven-haired playboy scoffed, "I'd like to see you try, old man."

Zach smirked as he returned to his chair with a bottle of beer for his older brother. "Calm down. He ordered the exact same meal for all three of us. You know neither of us cares if you keel over from a heart attack at an early age. We're not the ones that will be responsible for raising your spawns all alone."

Ric sat down on the other end of the couch and removed the cloche. He laughed, "That's why I love the two of you so much. Do you know that Stefan tried to get me to drink this soup in a bottle crap? What is wrong with that boy?"

Damon and Zach both got a good laugh out of that one.

Zach said, "He got me to try one of those things a few weeks ago. It wasn't so bad once I added vodka to it. It was like a thicker Bloody Mary."

Damon shook his head. "I will never understand why you humor the little bastard."

"Because he's my favorite nephew," Zach replied with a lazy grin.

Damon flipped off his uncle as he sipped from his bottle of beer. Stefan was the baby and they all treated him accordingly.

Ric laughed at the petulant expression on his nephew's face. He cut into his steak and said, "I finally have some good news to report on finding Giuseppe. He reached out to Uncle Bruno after to speaking to John a couple hours ago. He is interested in working out some sort of truce. He agreed to meet with our uncles later in the week. They're going to feed him lines about you only wanting a peaceful transition of power."

Damon smirked as he reclined against the couch. It appeared that his decision to lean on John Gilbert had born fruit quickly. He should have known the little weasel had a way to contact Giuseppe. However, the old man was playing it smart. The Salvatore boss had accurately assumed that John wasn't the right person to help him make peace with Damon. Giuseppe knew well his son's disdain for John. However, he didn't realize that Bruno and Giacomo were only leading him to slaughter. There could be no truce. Damon wanted Giuseppe dead—they all did.

"We can't make it that easy. My old man knows that I wouldn't just let something like this go. Besides, I all but told John I planned to kill him. He'll get suspicious if I go all Kumbaya on him now."

Zach sat back to give it some thought because Damon was right. Giuseppe raised them to be cold-blooded killers. He would never believe that Damon would simply let bygones be bygones. He suggested, "We could set conditions that bar him from entering Italy and the United States. The consequences for violating those conditions would be death. No questions asked. He might buy it then. We just need Giuseppe to believe the ruse long enough to get him to the compound in Milazzo."

The other two men mulled over Zach's suggestion. They had to get this right because they would only get one shot at tricking Giuseppe. He hadn't been boss this long by being led around by the nose. If he slipped through their fingers now, they would have go about things the hard way—the bloody way.

Ric said, "We can tell him that we know about his attempts to turn our people in Milazzo against Damon. He would believe that you are selfish enough to put your self-interest ahead of revenge. But it would mean tipping our hand and it might expose our uncles' allegiance to us. They'd be burned and no longer useful for getting information from Giuseppe if it doesn't work."

The youngest of them frowned deeply. He was fond of his uncles. They had always been good to him. "Giuseppe wouldn't hesitate to kill them, if he finds out that they're supporting me. I don't want to put them in that position, Zio."

Ric cocked an eyebrow at his nephew. "They'd both kick your ass for making them sound like doddering old fools that can't protect themselves. They have known Giuseppe for his entire life. Our uncles will be prepared for anything. This is our best chance to get the drop on him. Do you really want him to go to ground?"

Zach nodded in agreement. If they lost Giuseppe now a civil war would surely ensue between the disparate factions of the family.

Damon huffed. "Excuse me for exercising some fucking sensitivity. It won't happen again."

Zach chuckled. "They won't be there alone, Damon. We'll make sure our people are nearby to take out Gio if it comes to that."

"Maybe you should try calling him, Zacharias. You've always been the sensible one out of all of us. You're also the last person that Gio would expect to want him dead," Ric suggested. He slathered his salad with ranch dressing.

His jaw ticked in response to his brother's suggestion. Of course, Giuseppe would think that because he believed that Zach was still in the dark about his parents' deaths.

Damon noted the dark look in his uncle's eyes. "I won't ask you to do that. I mean…I get it. You have the biggest grievance with him out of everyone."

"Stefan?" Ric offered. "We just need someone to get his guard down."

Damon tilted his head as he considered that option. "Baby bro has been talking about stepping up."

Zach's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know, Damon. That's a lot to ask Stefan right out of the gate."

"You're worried that he is going to fuck it up? It's just a phone conversation. He'd never suspect, Stef," Damon replied.

"I'll reach out to Giuseppe. I don't want to put that kind of pressure on Stefan. He's always been a terrible liar," Zach muttered.

Damon chuckled and said, "You're right about that. I've been thinking of pulling him aside to ask about Tyler."

Ric looked puzzled. "Ask him what about Tyler?"

"Just wondering if Tyler and Bonnie are friends or whatever," he replied in a nonchalant voice.

"Any reason you can't ask your wife that question?"

Damon glared at his uncle.

Zach asked, "What's going on, Damon? Is Tyler not working out as her bodyguard? It has barely been 24 hours."

"I don't know. They just seemed very familiar with each other last night. I overheard them talking in the kitchen. They were joking and laughing together."

"Alone?" Ric asked.

Damon said, "No, Lucy and Caroline were in there with them."

"Then what the fuck are you worried about?" Ric asked in exasperation.

Zach chuckled. "He's worried that his wife might want someone closer to her age that doesn't fuck everything in a skirt. Glad that something I said yesterday sunk into your thick skull."

"It's not just that. She said some shit to me while we were arguing about Katherine. She said that she could find someone better."

Zach said, "She could. Have you looked at your wife lately? She's definitely not a little girl anymore."

Ric laughed at Damon's sour expression. "It's not as if Tyler and Bonnie have been hanging out behind your back. You always know where Bonnie is going. I guess they could be talking on the phone. You could verify that by checking her phone records. But that is a dick move even for you."

Zach said, "It is also a waste of time. She is not cheating on you, Damon."

"I didn't say that I thought that she was cheating on me. I said that I wondered about her friendship with Tyler."

The older man chuckled. "You're just trying to make sure that you are her only option?"

Damon growled when both of his uncles laughed at him. "Fuck the both of you. I know that I am being paranoid. Bonnie isn't that type of girl. She's loyal."

Ric lifted an eyebrow but didn't keep making fun of Damon. He knew that his nephew's ego could be fragile. They didn't need him throwing a fit over his sudden paranoia. "Do you want me to put someone else on Bonnie?"

Damon sat there a moment but then shook his head. "No. But I was thinking I might take Bonnie on a trip around her birthday…to reconnect or something like that."

Zach said, "That's a good idea, kid. Putting in a little effort won't kill you."

Ric checked his phone and groaned. "Are we done here? Abby is about to head over to the manor with the kids. I want to be there when they arrive."

Damon shook his head. "I don't think that there is anything else to talk about right now. I should be getting back to office anyway. I've got shit to do."

Zach looked at his watch. "Yeah, I should be heading back, too."

Ric stood up and pulled on his suit jacket. "I'll see you both at the house later."

The three men said their goodbyes and Ric left the penthouse. He took the elevator down to the parking garage.

Ric took the time to reply to Abby's text before he pulled out of the garage. He was hoping the gift he bought for Abby would put her in a better mood than she had been since he had returned to Los Angeles. She said that she forgave him for not being honest about what happened to Bonnie. However, something felt off between the two of them. He wasn't sure if Abby was still angry with him or if she was just tense about being at the manor with Jo for a couple days.

Ric made good time driving to the Salvatore Manor. He arrived at the same time that Abby did. He parked and then went to greet his family.

Abby was already out of her car with Savannah perched on her hip. She opened the backdoor for Cooper.

Cooper hopped out of the car and ran towards Ric. The six-year-old boy was practically her twin. He had curly chocolate brown hair and hazel eyes. He was short for his age but made up for it in sheer energy. He launched himself at Ric fully expecting to be caught.

The older man caught him with a grunt. "What are you doing here, speed racer?"

"I'm having a sleepover."

"Really? Me, too!" The older man replied facetiously.

Jamie walked by the two of them carrying his overnight bag. He was the opposite of his younger brother. He had curly jet-black hair and his complexion was fairer. Jamie also got his height from their father. He was tall and gangly for his age. His hazel eyes were the only similarity he shared with Abby.

Ric ruffled Jamie's hair as he walked past. "How's it going, Jamie?"

He shrugged. "Is Lucian home?"

"Uh, yeah. He's probably in the theater. You know the way, right?"

Jamie walked into the house without saying anything else.

Ric placed Cooper on the ground. "Go inside with your brother. I am going to help Mama with your bags."

Cooper chirped, "Okay, Uncle Ric."

Ric watched the boys enter the house before walking over to the car. He tickled Savannah's leg to make her smile at him. "Is everything okay with Jamie?"

Abby balanced Savannah on her hip as she grabbed bags from the back of the car. Packing light wasn't an option with three children. "He's been sulking all morning. I don't know what's going on with him. I even let him play that game you bought for him."

Ric sighed and took the bags from Abby. "I will talk to him. Are you okay being here after what happened to Bonnie?"

She tucked a curl behind her ear and nodded. "I mean if Bonnie can stand being here, then so can I. Besides, it's not as if he is here."

He pecked her cheek with a nod. It was hard keeping their interactions platonic but Jo and his girls were inside. "I'll take care of the bags. You can go inside. I'm sure you are eager to see Bonnie."

"Okay. I will see you inside." Abby walked into the house. She made her way into the kitchen and smiled when she heard Chaka Khan belting out _Through the Fire._

Bonnie was at the island cutting up vegetables. "Hey!"

Abby hugged her and said, "You got started without me."

"Not really it's just the prep work. I am glad that you are here. You can leave Savannah in the playroom if you want. The nannies are in there with younger the kids," Bonnie explained.

Savannah tucked her head against Abby's neck.

She said, "I don't think Miss Savannah is going to be happy with that. It's almost nap time for her. I'll put her down in a bit."

Bonnie said, "Well, you can just hang in here with us if you want. We could use the company."

Abby sat down with Savannah on her lap.

Bonnie smiled at her little sister. The toddler was a perfect mix of Abby and Ric. She wondered how Jo never saw it. Savannah had curly sandy brown hair and dark hazel eyes. Her olive toned skin made her look even more like Ric. "She's getting so big."

"Yes, she is. At least she is calmer than the boys were at this age. They were little terrors." She quickly added, "That I loved dearly."

Bonnie hated the part of her that was jealous of her younger siblings. There was always the little voice in the back of her head that wondered why Abby stuck around for them and not her. The mature part of Bonnie knew it wasn't as simple as that. Abby was barely 18 years old when she gave birth to Bonnie. She knew all too well how hard it was to be a young wife and mother. "Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?"

"Started and finished. I ordered everything online. The boys' wish lists were crazy this year but I managed to find everything. I still might get a few things during the Cyber Monday sales. What about you?"

"Lucy and I did some shopping today and yesterday. Nevertheless, I will probably do the bulk of my shopping online, too. It is just easier that way."

Lucy smirked as she shredded blocks of cheese. She said, "Well, Santa came early for me this year. I went out with Brady Lockwood last night."

The younger girl huffed out a laugh. "Lucy got a text from him and she was out the door ten minutes later."

"Lucy never wastes time when it comes to men," Abby teased. "She sees what she wants and takes it."

Lucy gave Abby a knowing look. "I could say the same about you, cuz."

She coughed to cover a laugh. "Well, I suppose it is a Benedetto trait. It might as well be our family's motto."

Bonnie hummed in agreement. She was working on getting what she wanted. "How was it?"

Lucy winked. "I'm seeing him again tonight. He is everything I thought that he would be in bed…not that we ever found ourselves in a bed last night. I was right about him liking to fuck against walls."

Abby laughed and said, "Don't talk like that around Savannah. She repeats everything these days."

Lucy smiled at her younger cousin and said, "You aren't going to repeat that, are you?"

Savannah just looked at Lucy with curious eyes.

Lucy gave the girl a small chunk of cheddar cheese and chuckled as she promptly shoved it into her mouth. "I think we have a deal."

Abby laughed softly. "Where is Caroline?"

"She had to work today. Liz's company is always busy this time of year. Tons of Christmas related events to plan during December. Care will be here tonight to help us cook."

Abby asked, "What's on the menu, anyway?"

Lucy grabbed several laminated pieces paper and handed them to Abby. The list detailed everything they would be cooking for Thanksgiving. There was even a schedule for when each dish should start and finish cooking. "Your daughter is a level of neurotic that I am unfamiliar with."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Caroline is the one that scheduled everything. You would know that if you hadn't ditched us to go see Brady last night."

The eldest Bennett woman smiled wistfully. "These are some of Mama's greatest hits when it comes to cooking a holiday dinner. It is going to be amazing. I am proud of you baby girl."

"It's just dinner, Mom." Bonnie couldn't remember a time her mother had ever said that to her. She didn't know how to take it.

"I am not talking about dinner. I mean that I am proud of the woman that you have become. I would have crumbled after what happened to you. You are everything that I never could be and I am proud of you. My greatest regret is not doing better by you. You deserved a better mother and you had one in your grams. I know because she was a damn good mother to me, too."

The girl blinked in confusion. "Mom…"

Abby shook her head. "I'm sorry. I just needed to say that. I needed you to hear that from me. Okay? I should go put Savannah down for her nap."

Bonnie washed her hands. "I will come with you."

The two women left the kitchen in silence. They took the left staircase to enter the west wing of the house. Abby had stayed in the same room at the manor since she was a little girl.

Bonnie pushed the door open. "My old room next door is set up for the boys. But they will probably end up crashing in the playroom. Stefan has a bunch of activities planned to keep the kids occupied tonight and tomorrow."

Abby walked into the room and smiled at the fresh flowers. "Gardenias are my favorite. Thank you, Bonnie."

"Those aren't from me. You might want to check the card. Here give her to me."

Abby shifted Savannah into Bonnie's arms. "Go to Sissy."

She walked over to the nightstand and took a moment to smell the flowers. Then she picked the card and read it.

 _*You are my heart, forever and always*_

Bonnie bounced Savannah gently and hummed to her. She smiled looking at her tiny fingers.

Abby picked up a small velvet ring box that was sitting beside the vase. She opened the box and gasped softly at the ring. "Shit…"

Bonnie craned her neck to see what was inside the box. "Wow."

The older caramel skin woman sat on the side of her bed and plucked the ring from the box. The white gold ring featured filigree accents with a four-carat canary yellow diamond. She explained, "His way of apologizing."

"That is quite an apology."

She smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger. "He's not great with words."

Bonnie snorted. "Neither is Damon. I'd prefer words over fancy gifts that I can afford to buy for myself."

"Have you told him that?"

"No. I just pretend that I don't know his assistant is the one that chooses the gifts he gives to me and Sarah."

Abby said, "Your marriage is still new enough to make changes. I made that mistake with your dad. I kept letting things slide until I wanted to kill him. The constant disrespect and his controlling nature drove me insane. The string of mistresses certainly didn't help." She frowned and added, "Yes, I see the irony in all of this. Trust me. Sometimes I wish I could do it all over again but then that would be wishing away my children."

Bonnie sat beside Abby. "Are you talking about my dad or theirs?"

"Both. He takes me for granted just as much as Rudy did. He just doesn't feel the need to berate me at every turn as your father did. He doesn't call me a worthless whore in front our children as Rudy did. But this is my bed and now I have to lie in it." She studied the ring on her finger with a tired expression. Abby didn't want to wear the ring but Ric would be offended if she didn't.

Bonnie was confused. She knew that her father wasn't a great guy but this was new information. "What are you saying?"

Abby shook her head. She had said too much. "I am saying to be smarter than me, baby girl. If you aren't happy, then change it. Don't wait for the man you love to do it because ultimately they are selfish. They will do whatever they think that they can get away with."

Bonnie thought about Damon's false promise to end his relationship with Katherine. Even if he did stop seeing her, it was obvious that he planned to keep sleeping with other women. Just last night he had been with Andie. "I should get back to the kitchen to help Lucy."

Abby took Savannah and nodded with a small smile. "I won't be long," she promised.

Bonnie walked down to the kitchen feeling shaken. She had never seen her mother like that before.

Lucy slowly lowered her wine glass. "What happened? Do I need to cuss out Abby?"

The younger girl shook her head. "No, she was actually helpful. I need you to find someone's location for me."

"Okay. Who are we talking about here?"

Bonnie took out her phone and typed a quick text to her cousin.

Lucy opened the message and raised an eyebrow in question. "You know I'm down for whatever but you need to be sure."

"I know what I'm doing, Luce."

The elder of the two wasn't so sure but she knew how stubborn Bonnie could be once she made up her mind. "I'll take care of it. I should have something for you by tomorrow."

"Thank you." She washed her hands and went back to chopping up vegetables.


	18. The Price We Must All Pay

Bonnie stifled a yawn as she slowly climbed the stairs. It was only ten o'clock and she was already dead on her feet. There was still work to do if they wanted to remain on schedule for tomorrow. However, Bonnie had decided to take a break in order to check on Sarah. She was still concerned about how her little girl was coping with being home. Fortunately, she had found Sarah fast asleep in the playroom with the rest of the children. Stefan's plan to tire out the kids had worked like a charm. It seemed that only Ric and Jo's twins were still awake.

She yawned again as she walked down the corridor to her mother's room. Bonnie had decided to check on Abby before returning to the kitchen. Her mother had hastily fled the room with a weak excuse. That had been well over an hour ago and she never returned. Abby's departure had come literally minutes after Jo stopped in to grab a snack before heading to bed for the night. Bonnie had nearly cut her finger when Jo offered to set Abby up on a blind date with a neurosurgeon from the hospital. Jo had jokingly said that Abby wasn't getting any younger. The little jab made Bonnie wonder if Jo knew about Abby and Alaric's affair.

Bonnie knocked on the door. "Mom? Are you in there?"

Abby opened the door a few seconds later. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying. However, she put on a brave face for Bonnie. "I promise that I still plan to help you cook. I just needed a little time to collect myself."

"I don't care about that. Lucy, Caroline, and I have everything under control for now. I came to check on you because I was worried. Did your call with Ignacio not go well?" she asked.

The hazel-eyed beauty smiled sadly at her daughter. She had lied about needing to call an old friend in order to get out of the kitchen without suspicion. In truth, she had received a text message from Alaric asking her to meet him in the library. The look on his face when she arrived would be etched into her memory for a long time. "It's nothing," she choked.

Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise because her mother wasn't prone to emotional outbursts. Sheila had raised them both to believe that lack of control was unbecoming of a Benedetto woman. However, tears were especially loathsome because they were a sign of weakness. Instead of questioning Abby further, she just hugged her. "Just let me know if there is anything I can do to help," she whispered.

The floodgates opened when Abby wrapped her arms around Bonnie. She was such an absolute failure as a mother. For a time, Abby believed that she was doing a better job with Jamie, Cooper, and Savannah. She was older and more prepared to be a mother by the time Jamie was born. Yet somehow, she had managed to fail them just as spectacularly as she had failed Bonnie.

Bonnie quietly ushered her mother into the bedroom and closed the door. She knew that Abby would not appreciate anyone else seeing her in this state. Afterwards, she just stood there and allowed her mother to cry for as long as she needed it. Bonnie could practically feel the despair spilling out of her mother and it was painful. Sometimes Bonnie had moments like this, when she felt helpless. Those were the times that she went to the beach house for a few hours. There she had the privacy to scream and cry at the very top of her lungs to release all of her pain and frustration. When she returned to the manor, her mask would be firmly in place again.

Abby pulled away when she had herself more under control. She dried her eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize. We all have our moments. I know being here with Jo can't be easy for you," Bonnie replied. She figured a lost job prospect wouldn't be enough to make Abby spiral out in this way.

Abby shook her head and slowly sat down on the settee near the window. "I have never been jealous of Jo. I had the opportunity to be Alaric's wife and I turned him down. I still think it is the best decision that I ever made. I love that man but the idea of being bound to him legally scares me to death. What we have is complicated and unfulfilling but marriage doesn't guarantee anything. Alaric is never going to leave me and he's never going to leave Jo. We're in this eternal stalemate until one of us dies—it will probably be Alaric with his complete disregard for his health."

Bonnie sat beside her mother. "Then what's wrong?

"I didn't leave the kitchen to call Ignacio. I went to see Ric. He had just finished talking to Jamie. Your little brother has been in a shitty mood all day. I just chalked it up to him being an angst riddled preteen. You certainly had your moods when you were his age," Abby said.

Bonnie smiled a little at that. When she was a little girl, she would be on her best behavior whenever Abby spent time with her. She had foolishly hoped that by being a good girl that her mother would stay. However, as she got older she realized that was never going to happen. After her epiphany, Bonnie's attitude toward Abby was unpredictable from day to day. Sometimes she wanted be her mother's sweet girl. Other times she took great pleasure in seeing her mother flinch at her unkind words. Bonnie was never disrespectful because Sheila wouldn't allow it. However, her grandmother never stopped her from being truthful about Abby's failures. She asked, "Is Jamie okay?"

Abby shook her head. "We've both talked to him now but he's still confused. More than that, he's hurting and it's all my fault. He overheard my conversation with Uncle Johnny this morning."

Bonnie tensed at the mention of Big John. She hoped that her mother hadn't done something unwise like tell him about what Giuseppe had done to her. If Big John learned the truth, he would take away her leverage by striking out against the Salvatores.

She noted the look on her daughter's face. "It was just a routine call, baby girl. I talk to him once a week. He likes to keep in touch. He worries about me. Besides, I wouldn't tell him what happened to you unless it became necessary. I know that you have your own thing going. I'm not trying to step on that."

The green-eyed girl relaxed visibly. "Why would a conversation with Uncle Johnny upset Jamie?"

Abby raked her fingers through her curly brown hair. "We were arguing about Alaric—again. It has become routine since I moved to Huntington Beach to be closer to him. I thought Jamie was outside playing with Cooper. He had come back inside to get something to drink and overheard me say that Alaric was his father."

Bonnie stared at her mother in disbelief. She knew a little something about learning uncomfortable truths about one's parents. She was a little younger than Jamie was when she learned that Rudy had essentially sold her to Sheila. Bonnie had been heartbroken by the revelation. She refused to speak to her father for years. Sometimes Rudy would call to speak to Bonnie but she would only hold the phone silently. Once she was older, Bonnie understood that her father didn't really have a choice. Sheila would have killed him if he refused to sign away his parental rights. However, by then Rudy was a bitter man and no longer cared to have a relationship with his daughter. It was petty to hold a grudge against a teenager but that was exactly what Rudy had done.

"Oh my God."

Abby said, "He's devastated and confused. Who can blame him? He's been calling Ric 'Uncle' for as long as he can remember. Now he learns that this man is his father. He had questions. He had so many questions. We tried to answer all of them with as much detail as is appropriate for a 12 year old. He's furious with Ric. I've never seen him angry before. Jamie is my sweet little boy. Things usually roll off him like water off a ducks back. But not this…"

Bonnie asked, "He's only mad at Ric?"

Abby sighed deeply and nodded. "I was crying while talking to Uncle Johnny. Things have been stressful with Ric because he doesn't want me working as a choreographer. It got worse after our argument yesterday about you. I'm faking it for Ric but things are tense. We'll sort it out eventually…we always do. I don't know exactly how much of the conversation Jamie heard but it was enough to make him worried about me."

Bonnie nodded in understanding. Whatever her issues with Abby she would never stand for someone hurting her mother. She could only assume Jamie felt a similar connection to Abby. "Why should he have a problem with you working? Jo works 60 freaking hours a week."

"Oh, Ric is perfectly fine with me working. He just doesn't want me working as a choreographer. He's worried that I'll end up getting a job as some artist's tour choreographer," Abby explained.

The younger woman suddenly understood his fear. Abby had gone on tour with music artists in the past as their choreographer. She always hired a pair of nannies so that she could take the kids with her. Bonnie had to imagine that it wasn't easy getting Abby to agree to settle down in the first place. For such a short marriage, Rudy had certainly done a number on her mother. Abby hated feeling confined or controlled. Although, Bonnie sometimes wondered if at least some of that phobia was related to Sheila. Her grandmother wasn't abusive like Giuseppe was but she ruled her family with an iron fist. Her word had been as good as law and there was no room for disagreement. Bonnie couldn't think of anything worse than disappointing Sheila. She had hidden the worst experience in her life from her grandmother for fear of that disappointment.

Bonnie asked, "What are you guys going to do about Jamie?"

Abby sighed softly. "Ric promised to sit Jo and the girls down after Christmas to tell them some version of the truth. All of this is an absolute disaster. I hate having to ask Jamie to keep secrets for me."

Bonnie nodded in understanding. "I know this isn't ideal but you couldn't have meant to keep this a secret forever."

"No. We had a plan. It wasn't a very good plan but it was something. Ric wanted to wait until Lizzie and Josie graduated from high school. We don't have that luxury anymore."

She could understand the appeal of that option. However, the cat was out of the bag now and there was definitely going to be fallout from this. Bonnie felt terrible for the children caught in the middle. She even felt bad for her mother and Jo. This couldn't be what they thought their lives would be when they were young women. Bonnie couldn't believe that two intelligent women were letting Alaric make fools out of them this way. Then again, Bonnie had killed Freddie today without a second thought yet she allowed Damon to humiliate her with his infidelity. She was hardly in a position to judge anyone's relationship.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked. Bonnie's relationship with her mother had peaks and valleys. However, she had always adored her little brothers and sister.

Abby suggested, "Maybe you could spend a little time with Jamie. He might feel more comfortable talking to you than he does with Alaric or me. Well, he's not actually speaking to Ric at the moment but you get my point."

"I can definitely do that," Bonnie replied.

Abby squeezed her hand. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me for looking out for my little brother."

Abby smiled a little. "You shouldn't leave Lucy alone for too long. She'll end up putting too much nutmeg in the béchamel sauce."

Bonnie chuckled. "She does do that, doesn't she?"

She nodded. "She gets it from Aunt Geneva. They're always so heavy handed with the seasonings. It used to drive Mama crazy."

Bonnie squeezed Abby's shoulder when she stood up. The girl winced when she was hit with a wave if dizziness. "Jamie is going to get through this because he has a family that loves him. He is going to get through this because he is a Benedetto. We bend but never break. And we always…always survive."

Abby huffed out a laugh. "Don't let Ric hear you say that. He gets his knickers all up in a twist when I say that."

"Well, maybe if he had stepped up and claimed his own children then he'd have some sort of argument. But he didn't. They are Benedettos just as we are," Bonnie said.

Abby couldn't have agreed with Bonnie more. She had worked hard over the years to ensure that her identity didn't get lost in the maelstrom that was the Salvatore family.

Bonnie walked out of the room and headed back to the kitchen.

Tyler was standing near the island with a box in his hands. He should have been off duty two hours ago. However, Matt was running late. The Donovans were meeting with Tyler's father and uncles. They were working out the details of killing Atticus Shane in prison. He was set to go before the parole board in a few months. However, his betrayal of the Benedetto family had marked him for death. Moreover, as Giuseppe's godson he was too much of a wildcard. Bonnie didn't want any pretenders challenging Damon for the throne.

"Hey, Bon. This came for you earlier. Sorry about it being opened but all mail and packages are being inspected first. It's just a precaution but…"

Bonnie frowned because she wasn't expecting anything. She wondered if this was another gift from Rose on Damon's behalf. She walked over to take the box from him.

Tyler held the box away from her and said, "It's actually pretty heavy. There are a couple of books in here. I'll just put it on the table for you."

Bonnie playfully rolled her eyes at Tyler. He had been needlessly fussing over her since he learned that she was pregnant. However, she followed him over to the table and inspected the package. She pulled out three leather bound volumes. "Thanks, Ty."

He lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Edgar Allen Poe? They look old."

The young woman's stomach plummeted when she saw the author's name in gold lettering on the spine of the book. "They are first editions," she muttered.

Bonnie opened the first book and studied the table of contents. She quickly discarded the book and moved on to the second one. Her finger slid down the page until it stopped on the title of a poem. Bonnie flipped through the pages so quickly that she nearly tore a page.

"Bon?" Tyler asked with concern coloring his voice.

Bonnie's heart nearly stopped when she saw beautifully drawn orchids defacing the priceless book.

Tyler peered over Bonnie's shoulder and noticed that she had stopped on the poem _Annabel Lee_. He vaguely remembered reading the poem in high school. "What's wrong?"

Bonnie slammed the book shut with shaking hands. "Get rid of them. I want them out of the house. Now!"

Her raised voice drew Caroline and Lucy's attention from across the room. "Bonnie?" Lucy said with trepidation.

She clapped a hand over her mouth and rushed from the room as a wave of nausea overtook her. Bonnie ran down the hall to the bathroom that was fortunately empty. She slammed the door closed behind her and proceeded to throw up.

Tyler stood outside the bathroom feeling agitated. He didn't understand why a box of old books would send Bonnie into a tizzy. However, he had recognized the genuine fear in her eyes. The package hadn't listed a sender. The dubious origin of the package was one of the reasons that security had taken so long to pass it on to Bonnie. They had inspected every inch of the package to ensure that it wasn't malicious. Tyler could only assume that it was a message of some sort. However, a list of suspects didn't immediately come to mind. It was too benign to have come from Giuseppe. Tyler took out his phone and googled the poem that had caused Bonnie so much distress. Perhaps the context would give him a clue.

His brown eyes flicked over the screen rapidly as he studied the words. He didn't feel any closer to an answer after he finished reading the poem. He knocked on the door. "Bon? Are you okay?"

Damon was headed to the study when he heard Tyler's voice. He walked into the corridor and asked, "What's going on?"

Tyler tensed at Damon's sudden intrusion. He hadn't even noticed the man's presence until he spoke. Tyler was annoyed at himself for being so distracted that he didn't sense his approach. He said, "I'm not sure. Bonnie just ran out of the kitchen. I think she might be sick or something."

The older man eyed Tyler with no small amount of suspicion. Damon quickly dismissed the thought. He was being jealous for no reason. "I can take it from here."

Tyler didn't like the idea of leaving Bonnie when something was obviously wrong. He certainly didn't like the idea of leaving her in Damon's care. However, he nodded reluctantly and walked away from the bathroom door to give husband and wife some privacy. In the meantime, he would find out more about how that package had arrived.

"Bunny?" Damon called through the door. "Open the door, sweetheart."

Bonnie looked shaky when she opened the door. She was still sick to her stomach. However, more pressing was the absolute terror at her past coming back to haunt her. "I'm fine. It's just a little morning sickness."

Damon could smell the vomit as soon as he stepped into the bathroom. He frowned when he saw how peaked Bonnie looked. He flushed the toilet and put the lid down. "Sit down, bunny," he murmured.

Bonnie slowly sat down because her head was still spinning. She had hoped that five years would be enough time. She should have known better. Few things truly scared the young woman. However, this situation was delicate. She couldn't kill the person causing her this distress. His death would no doubt spark a bloody war. Bonnie couldn't allow that to happen.

Damon found a washcloth and soaked it with cold water from the faucet. He wrung out the cloth and then placed it on the back of Bonnie's neck. "Maybe you are overdoing it with all of the cooking. You are pregnant and you are still recovering from what happened. You should be resting."

The cool towel on the back of her neck actually felt good. She closed her eyes and tried to settle her stomach. "It's just morning sickness, Damon. I would be sick rather I was in bed or not. Although, I'm sure no one is going to want to eat Thanksgiving dinner prepared by someone that keeps throwing up."

Damon chuckled quietly. "I think you severely underestimate the strength of a Salvatore man's stomach."

Bonnie groaned softly as another wave of nausea hit her. She was up and leaning over the toilet in a matter of seconds.

His smile fell away when Bonnie started vomiting again. He moved forward and swept Bonnie's hair away from her neck so that it didn't get in the way. "Try not to struggle against it. It'll just make your abdominal muscles hurt more."

She groaned once she stopped throwing up. "This is so gross. You should go. I'll be okay, Damon."

Damon said, "I grew up in a house with all boys. This doesn't even graze my gross meter. Stef once threw up in my bed with me in it."

Bonnie groaned as she laughed. She lowered the lid and sat down again. Bonnie flushed the toilet and sprayed the room with air freshener because the smell of vomit was making her sick all over again. "Don't make me laugh."

"I'm being serious. The little bastard was maybe 8 or 9 years old. He wanted to sleep in my bed because he had the chicken pox. He was miserable and had a fever. I couldn't say no to him. He fell asleep while I was slathering him with that pink ointment stuff. I had just closed my eyes so that I could go to sleep, too. The next thing I know Stefan whines something I couldn't really understand. He puked on the bed and on me. Then he rolled over and went right back to sleep."

Bonnie covered her mouth as she laughed. Damon didn't know how much she needed a little levity at the moment. "What did you do?"

Damon leaned against the counter and shrugged. "I took a shower and then moved Stefan to the room across the hall for the night. My bed needed a serious cleaning after he spewed chunks all over it."

Bonnie giggled with a shake of her head. "You were a good big brother. I don't think I would have been that calm."

"Eh, don't even get me started on his bed wetting phase. There's nothing like waking up to realize that someone else has pissed in your bed," Damon replied with a mischievous grin.

"Now that sounds like amazing blackmail material. How old was he? Please, tell me that he was at an age where wetting the bed officially becomes a faux pas," Bonnie pleaded.

He smirked and asked, "What sort of brother would I be if I gave you ammunition to ridicule my baby brother?"

"I don't know but you'd be an awesome husband," she argued.

Damon chuckled and said, "Well, that's dirty pool on your part, wife. I am officially Switzerland between the two of you. I have good blackmail material on you, too."

"No, you don't," Bonnie said dismissively. She noted the smirk on his face. "Do you?"

"My lips are sealed," he replied. Damon carded his fingers through Bonnie's hair. "Are you felling any better?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I think it has passed for now. Besides, I doubt that there is anything in left in my stomach to throw up. I just need to brush my teeth."

Damon helped Bonnie stand up. "Come on. I'll walk upstairs with you."

Bonnie moved by him to wash her hands before leaving the bathroom. She still felt a little unsteady and it was immediately obvious once she started climbing the stairs.

Damon's eyebrows furrowed in concern at the way Bonnie gripped the banister. He swept his wife off her feet without warning.

She flailed a little at the sudden movement. "Damon!"

He carried Bonnie up the stairs easily. He said, "You looked like you were going to fall."

"I wasn't going to fall. I just had a head rush," she argued.

Damon hummed skeptically but didn't put Bonnie down until he reached their bedroom. "Maybe you should try lying down for a bit after you brush your teeth."

She frowned. "I need to get back to the kitchen. It was my big idea to give Sophie the holiday off. I can't leave everyone else to cook without me."

He cupped her cheek and said, "Your health is more important than dinner. I know the holiday is important to you but this is important to me. Caroline, Abby, and Lucy can manage without you. If not I'll pitch in to help them."

Bonnie laughed. "You don't know how to cook."

He rolled his eyes because she was right. He knew enough about cooking that he wouldn't starve if left to his own devices. However, he didn't know enough to accomplish Bonnie's ambitious holiday menu. "Then I'll draft Ric into service. Zio Bruno taught him how to cook."

She huffed. "You aren't going to give up on this are you?"

"Nope," he replied.

Bonnie sighed. "It feels like you are putting me in time out and I don't like it."

Damon just raised an eyebrow at her.

"Fine. I am a little tired so I will lie down for exactly one hour. No longer than that, Damon."

He grinned and said, "There's my girl."

She shook her head in exasperation and continued into the bathroom. Bonnie called over her shoulder, "I think I might be too hot."

Damon walked over to the thermostat and lowered their room's temperature. Afterwards, he stripped down to his boxers and pulled on a pair of pajamas. If he got his way, Bonnie would be staying in bed for the rest of the night.

Bonnie walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later with minty fresh breath and a freshly washed face. Her steps slowed when she realized that Damon was in the bed. "What are you doing?"

He chuckled. "I thought we could spend your timeout together."

She toed off her ballerina flats and climbed into the bed that was really too high for her. Bonnie said, "You aren't funny."

Damon pulled her across the bed with a grin. "You are so cute when you pout. Are you going to be this stubborn for the whole pregnancy?"

Bonnie settled into his arms and but didn't answer him.

He nuzzled her neck and sing-songed, "Bunny."

She bit her lip as she tried to ignore his antics.

"Bon-Bon," he tried again. When Damon was met with silence again, he tickled Bonnie's side.

Bonnie huffed out an unexpected laugh and squirmed. "Stop that."

He chuckled and said, "She speaks!" Damon slid his hand onto her stomach. "I just want to make sure that you're healthy. I promise I won't be overbearing."

She scoffed at Damon's promise because she knew that he wouldn't be able to keep it.

"Okay. I promise that I will **try** not to be overbearing. Better?" he asked.

"More believable at least," she replied. Bonnie stifled a yawn.

Damon smiled smugly but wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he carded his fingers through Bonnie's hair hoping that she would fall asleep.

Bonnie wished that she could tell Damon about the danger looming over her. However, she was too ashamed to tell anyone—including Tyler. In quiet moments, she still wondered how she could have been so gullible. Bonnie didn't cut herself any slack because of her age at the time. She had been raised to take over an empire and somehow she had become prey. The girl said a silent prayer for guidance as she felt her body giving in to exhaustion.


	19. History Repeating

Bonnie excelled at being the quintessential mob wife. She knew how to be charming and demure around her husband and his business associates. She was always careful not to outshine Damon because his ego couldn't handle it. However, she commanded the respect commiserate with her station when socializing with the other wives. It didn't matter that she was a decade or more younger than some of her counterparts. She held herself in a way that let them know she wasn't to be discounted. Unfortunately, the age disparity meant that Bonnie didn't have many friends. Either she was too young to have anything in common with them or they were too far down on the food chain to join her social circle.

Damon hated the tedious nature of these social gatherings. It was always a careful dance ensuring that no one felt disrespected or slighted. It became an even more complicated prospect when dealing with the Mikaelson family. The Mikaelsons and Salvatores had been allies for several decades. They survived the mob war 30 years ago because of their alliance. However, hurt feelings and misunderstandings could damage even the strongest relationship. Therefore, Damon always looked to Bonnie to maintain the social relationships between the families. She was responsible for remembering milestones and acquiring the appropriate gifts. She reminded him about the key details in the lives of the men loyal to both families. He knew the men but he often drew a blank on their wives and children. Whereas Rose ran Damon's life in the realm of legitimate business, Bonnie ran this side of his life.

Normally, Bonnie played her role of the dutiful wife effortlessly. However, today had been something of a struggle for the young woman. She hoped that she managed to keep anyone from noticing but Bonnie was off her game. She had been in a sour mood for days now. She was certain that pregnancy hormones and morning sickness were at least partly responsible for her disposition. It was hard to feel chipper when she was sneaking away to vomit periodically. However, spending the holiday with their family had taken its toll on Bonnie's psyche and her spirit. Watching her mother and Jo navigate around one another for three straight days was a kind of torture.

Bonnie was certain that she was viewing Abby and Jo's situation through the prism of her own damaged relationship. She kept feeling as if she was watching a scene arranged by the Ghost of Christmas Future. The young woman couldn't imagine spending the next twenty years of her life pretending to be deaf, blind, and naïve on the matter of Damon's dalliances. It was hard enough suppressing her more violent tendencies around him. She found it laughable how soundly Damon slept beside a woman that could slit someone's throat and then go about her day as if nothing happened. Bonnie had moments when she wanted to unleash her darker nature to show her loving husband exactly whom he married. However, she had worked too hard and sacrificed too much to tip her hand now.

Bonnie was standing beside her 'devoted' husband and pretending that she didn't want to pull out every strand of his luscious raven colored hair. Predictably, Damon was arguing with Elijah Mikaelson about American football versus what the rest of the world called football. The friendly arguments were always ridiculous seeing as the men were avid fans of both sports. Damon and Elijah had even attended a few games together. Bonnie had come to learn that they just enjoyed arguing with one another.

Meanwhile, Hayley gushed about Hope's part in the _Nutcracker._ More than anything Bonnie wished that she could be at least a little intoxicated. They had just finished a six-course meal after spending two hours at baby Erik's christening. Now they were enjoying cocktail hour at the Mikaelson's mansion. Correction, Damon was enjoying cocktails. Bonnie was stuck drinking sparkling cider and ginger ale. At the very least, the beverages were helping her keep the nausea at bay. All Bonnie really wanted to do was go home so that she could curl up in her bed.

The best part of her evening had been socializing with Hayley Mikaelson. The 30-year-old woman was as much of a free spirit as one could be while married to a crime lord. Hayley owned an avant-garde art gallery that had become quite popular in recent years. However, the women got along so well because Hayley understood Bonnie in a way that few others could. Hayley had married Elijah, a man 12 years her senior, in order to prevent a mob war ignited by her older brother's reckless actions. The Labonirs sacrificed their only daughter for the good of the family. The move had also saved their son's life. The beginning of their marriage had been rocky. Rumors of affairs ran rampant. There had even been questions about Hope's paternity. When the chaos faded away, it left behind a marriage that was even stronger. Bonnie had hoped the same would happen for her marriage. However, the longer she was with Damon, the harder her heart became towards him.

As if the universe was making fun of Bonnie, a sudden wave of nausea hit her. She tried sipping her ginger ale but it didn't help.

Damon felt his wife tense beside him and glanced in her direction. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and flashed a winning smile. "I'm fine. Could you just excuse me for a moment?"

He eyed her with some concern but pecked her cheek. "Hurry back."

Bonnie placed her glass on a nearby table and calmly walked out of the room.

Hayley quickly caught up with her. "Follow me."

The younger woman didn't even question her. She followed Hayley into a guest room on the first floor.

"You can use the bathroom in there. No one should be coming in here to disturb you."

Bonnie raced into the bathroom and lifted the toilet lid just as she began to vomit. She hadn't been able to eat much at the restaurant but it was all coming back up in a blaze of glory now. She slowly stood up after ensuring that her stomach was empty. Bonnie flushed the toilet and put the lid down. She couldn't have been more embarrassed.

Hayley stood in the doorway. "There are new toothbrushes, mouthwash, and travel sized toothpastes in the drawer to your left."

Bonnie smiled in gratitude. "Thank you." She easily located the items and rinsed her mouth before brushing her teeth.

The older woman left the bathroom to give Bonnie some privacy but waited in the guestroom for her. Hayley had a seat in a chair by the door. She was glad to know that Bonnie was simply pregnant. She had been concerned about the girl all evening. Hayley could tell that something was wrong but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Bonnie emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later wearing a sheepish smile. "I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Hayley said, "There is no need to apologize, Bonnie. I have been there before—dozens of times. How far along are you?"

"I'm 14 weeks pregnant…with twins," she confessed. Bonnie didn't see the point in lying to Hayley now.

Her face lit up. "Congratulations! I am so happy for you."

"Thank you. But we're not really telling anyone just yet…"

Hayley nodded. "I understand. I promise that I won't say anything to anyone. Are you excited? I can't believe that you are having twins!"

Everyone had been waiting for Bonnie to get pregnant since marrying Damon. Some of the wives had begun to wonder if the young woman had fertility issues. They knew Damon couldn't be the problem since he already had a daughter. However, others wondered if he was too busy sleeping around to do his duty as her husband. Fortunately, Bonnie's pregnancy would finally silence those rumors.

"I am excited, but I'm a little scared, too."

"That's natural. I was terrified when Hope was born. I was even more of a nervous wreck after Julian was born," she replied.

Hayley didn't need to explain Julian's importance. The pressure to have a son had been unbearable after Hope was born.

Bonnie asked, "Does it get easier with time?"

She nodded, "Of course it does. I finally had a handle on motherhood once Helena and then Erik came along. I'm not nearly as neurotic as I used to be. I have learned that there is no such thing is a perfect mother. I wish someone had told me that in the beginning."

Bonnie said, "Being a mom to Sarah was easy. I mean she was already a year old when I married Damon. I am worried about having two tiny people needing me to always be at my best."

Hayley said, "You have a close knit family, take advantage of that. I certainly did. Esther and Rebekah kept me sane after Hope was born. And there is no shame in making use of your nanny in the middle of the night. An exhausted mommy is no good for anyone."

Bonnie didn't have much of a support system at the manor but she knew that Caroline would have her back. She was definitely her best friend. Caroline also had invaluable experience in raising twins.

"That is great advice that I will be sure to keep in mind. Thank you, Hayley," Bonnie replied earnestly.

"You know that I am here if you ever need anything." Hayley stood up and said, "I should get back out to the party but you can stay in here as long as you like. I'll let Damon know that you are feeling a little under the weather."

She smiled. "Thank you. You are a lifesaver."

Hayley squeezed Bonnie's hand in support before slipping out of the room.

The younger woman locked the door and turned off the lights. She needed a moment to lie down on the bed. Bonnie was exhausted and still felt sick to her stomach. Cocktail hour was nearly over but Damon had yet to sneak away to talk business with Elijah. She could be stuck there for at least another hour. Bonnie closed her eyes for a moment and willed her stomach to stop churning. She really didn't want to throw up again.

Lying down in the dark was probably a terrible idea considering she was having trouble sleeping at night. Niklaus had invaded her dreams and turned them into nightmares since she received his gift.

Bonnie was on the edge of sleep when she heard someone walk into the bedroom. Her heart immediately began to beat faster because she knew exactly who it was. A locked door had never been an obstacle for him. However, she foolishly hoped that it was her husband coming to check on her. "Damon?" she asked.

A vicious laugh echoed off the walls as heavy footsteps thudded closer to the bed. "Guess again, love."

Bonnie recognized the owner of that smooth voice immediately. She fumbled with the lamp on the nightstand until soft light flooded the once darkened bedroom. "Niklaus," she breathed in a barely audible voice.

Klaus took a moment to drink in Bonnie's appearance. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. He tenderly cupped her cheek and stroked his thumb over her plump bottom lip.

The young woman clumsily got to her feet so that she was out of his grasp. Bonnie was furious at herself for being so stupid. She should have known that Niklaus would come for her the moment she was alone. She had felt his intense gaze on her from the moment she walked into the church that evening. Bonnie hastily tugged at the hem of her emerald green cocktail dress. She had chosen the dress at Damon's behest because it accentuated her sharp eyes.

"What are you doing in here, Niklaus?"

He ground his teeth in response to Bonnie's tone. However, he could forgive her this once since she looked ill. "I saw Hayley shepherd you in here and I got curious when you didn't rejoin the festivities. Are you unwell, petal?"

Bonnie tensed at the pet name Klaus had given her years ago. She had forgotten how the simple word had the power to strip her bare beneath his hungry eyes. For the briefest moment, Bonnie felt as if she were the powerless girl that had fallen under Niklaus Mikaelson's spell once upon a time.

Bonnie made a snap decision to keep her pregnancy a secret from him. Klaus was unpredictable when he became enraged. She wouldn't risk him doing something rash to harm the twins. She stepped into her pumps and afterwards tried to move around him. "It must have been something I ate. I feel better now. I should return to the party."

"What is your rush?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. His stormy blue eyes studied Bonnie as if she were a puzzle he was trying to arrange.

Bonnie could have easily caused a commotion that would have drawn attention to their location. However, she couldn't risk Damon and Niklaus behaving like idiots. The two men had been rivals since they were children. Bonnie had no interest in causing tension between the two families if it was unnecessary.

"We shouldn't be in here alone. It is not proper. Someone might get the wrong idea," she explained.

Klaus widened his stance to block her exit. "Well, you have been avoiding me all evening. I thought this might be my only chance to speak to you."

She had hoped that her efforts to avoid Klaus would have escaped his notice. Bonnie smiled at him sheepishly. "I haven't been avoiding you, Niklaus. You were busy at the church seeing as you are little Erik's godfather. Congratulations on that by the way. He is a lucky boy."

His eyes twinkled as he looked at her. He brushed his fingers through her soft curls. "That doesn't explain why we didn't speak at the restaurant. Or why you conveniently chose to chat up my sister when I spoke to Damon earlier."

Bonnie had to will her body not to flinch away from his touch. It would only encourage the intoxicated man to be rougher with her. She could smell the scotch practically bleeding out of his pores. "I planned to speak to you, Niklaus. I wanted to thank you for the beautiful gift you sent me, but your family and friends have surrounded you all evening. Everyone is thrilled that you are home again."

He chuckled deeply at the half-truths falling from her painted lips. He cupped her cheek and replied, "Everyone is excited with the exception of you. Isn't that right, petal?"

This time she shied away from his touch, because she could see that his pupils were dilated. She couldn't believe that he was high on Erik's special day. "Please, move, Niklaus. Someone might come looking for me."

"Damon?" he asked bitterly. He continued, "He slipped off into my brother's office as soon as you disappeared with Hayley. I am sure that he will be occupied for a while."

Once again, her husband was nowhere to be found when she needed his protection. Yet this time he had no way of knowing that she would need him. This time it was Bonnie's deception that had left her vulnerable to attack. She knew that dangerous glint in Klaus' eyes intimately. He was angry with Bonnie and wanted to punish her for the perceived slight. Bonnie edged away from him. "Klaus…"

Niklaus easily picked Bonnie up despite her protestations. Then he placed her on the mid height chest of drawers and wedged himself between her stocking clad legs. Kol had been offering to set him up with whores all week. However, he had turned down all of his brother's generous overtures. There was only one woman he desired and her name was Bonnie Bennett-Salvatore. He pushed her dress up until he could see the black lace of her panties. A guttural growl escaped his pink lips shocking them both.

Bonnie trembled as she tried to figure a way out of this situation because she knew what came next. "Please," she pleaded quietly.

Klaus hooked one of his fingers into her panties and pulled them aside so that her perfectly waxed sex was exposed to his heated gaze. He stared at her in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Then he said, "I don't like that you were trying to avoid me tonight. It makes me think that you didn't miss me. I missed you during those lonely nights in prison. They would have been a little less lonely if you had written me even once."

She swallowed thickly but decided not to fight him-yet. Bonnie still clung to the hope that she might be able to talk herself out of this disaster. Dealing with Niklaus was like wrangling a boa constrictor. Struggling just made him clamp down tighter. She dragged her manicured nails up the base of his skull and stroked at his blonde curls soothingly. "I'm married now, Niklaus. You know that, right? I couldn't write you without Damon or Giuseppe learning the truth."

His eyes flashed dangerously at Bonnie's attempt to manipulate him. He grabbed her face in a tight grip and stared at her with unbridled rage. Klaus used his other hand to force two fingers inside of her. He pumped his fingers into her slowly but it still hurt without lubrication or even a hint of arousal. "You know I don't like when you call me by my given name, petal. What are you supposed to call me? Have I been away so long that you have forgotten our times together?"

Bonnie's body rebelled against the invading digits by clenching around them painfully. She whispered, "Nik…"

He smiled as his fingers slowed to a stop. He brushed his lips against hers. "That's better. Yes, I know that you are married to Giuseppe Salvatore's manwhore heir," he spit out with distaste. "However, we both know that you should have been my wife. After all, you were mine first. Does he know?"

Bonnie's mouth snapped shut with a defiant click.

He growled and wrenched her face so that she was looking up at him. He spoke with a taunting lilt to his voice, "Does he know that I had you first? Does he know that my seed was the first you tasted? I should have fucked you when I had the chance then he would have known that you belonged to me."

Bonnie thanked God everyday that Niklaus had left her intact. He had foolishly thought he was saving her virtue for himself. She couldn't imagine what Damon would have done if she wasn't a virgin on their wedding night. Bonnie's fingers fumbled with the wide garter that held her stockings in place.

Niklaus wrapped his hand around Bonnie's throat as he became more enraged. "Answer me!"

A metallic click disturbed the silence of the room and briefly confused Klaus. Bonnie saw her opening and pressed a switchblade against his pale throat. She ground out, "I am so fucking tired of men manhandling me as if I am little more than a piece of property. I am not yours, Niklaus. I don't belong to anyone."

His blue eyes widened at Bonnie's unexpected defiance. His adam's apple bobbed against the cold steel. Klaus went from looking shocked to grinning like a mad man. However, he slowly withdrew his fingers from inside her. "What are you going to do? Are you going to tell Damon about this? The Salvatores wouldn't risk destroying the alliance…not even for you."

Sadly, Bonnie knew that Klaus was right. She had known five years ago, too. The alliance was more important than any single person was. It was certainly more important than a teenage girl who was too stupid to keep herself from being violated.

However, she merely smirked at him and pressed the blade against his throat hard enough to nick the skin. "Well, I guess it is a good thing that I am not a Salvatore. I am a Benedetto and I give exactly zero fucks about the alliance. I would stand aside and watch you all cut each other down until only my family is left standing."

Klaus studied the feral look on the young woman's face with interest. Something in her had changed. She was not the same girl that had fallen for his pretty words once upon a time. He took a step back and raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender.

Just then, someone tried the door. Damon called out, "Bonnie?"

Bonnie stared at Klaus and whispered, "Should we test your theory?"

Klaus couldn't tell if Bonnie truly meant her threat or not. He decided now was not the time to find out. He lifted her from the chest of drawers and placed her on the ground. "I'll be seeing you again…soon," he promised.

Bonnie watched him disappear into the bathroom to hide. She fixed her appearance and tucked the switchblade into the small pouch sewn into her garter. Bonnie had sworn that she would never again be unarmed after Giuseppe had caught her off guard. She grabbed her purse and then she opened the door, "Hey."

Damon gave her a worried look. "Are you okay, bunny? Hayley said that you weren't feeling well."

"I'm fine now. It was just a little morning sickness. I didn't mean to stay in here for so long. I think that I might have dozed off for a minute. I have been feeling tired all day. I'm sorry, Damon," Bonnie replied while she feigned embarrassment.

He kissed her sweetly. "No, I am sorry for keeping you here this long. I should have made our excuses after dinner. We can leave now. Sarah is exhausted, too. Stefan has already taken her out to the car."

Bonnie said, "Thank you."

Damon rested his hand on the small of her back as they walked into the living room. "You can go outside while I say goodbye to Elijah."

"Are you sure? I can always call Tyler to pick us up," she offered. Truthfully, Bonnie was craving the safety of Tyler's presence.

He shook his head. "No, I can talk to Elijah some other time. I am going to go home with you and Sarah."

She nodded and said, "I will see you outside then."

As she made her way to the foyer, she saw Klaus emerge from the shadows with a glass in hand. He looked at her pointedly and then smelled the two fingers that had been inside her just minutes ago.

Bonnie walked out of the house so fast that she walked right into Stefan's broad chest.

He wrapped an arm around her body. "Are you okay, Bon?"

She looked up with startled eyes. "Oh, I am fine. I just feel a little light headed."

Stefan said, "Let me help you to the car."

Bonnie allowed Stefan to lead her downhill to the idling SUV. She climbed into the car where Sarah was already waiting with their driver. "Thanks, Stef."

The little girl was engrossed in the movie playing overhead. "Look, Mama."

She smiled. "I see, bambolina. Enjoy your movie."

"Can I get anything for you, Bon?" Stefan asked.

She shook her head. "No, I will be fine. I just need to get home. It's been a long day."

He nodded in agreement. He had been ready to go home hours ago but this was part of taking a bigger role in the family business. He said, "Damon will be out soon."

Bonnie relaxed once he closed the door. Her heart rate was slowly returning to normal. Klaus was a problem. He was as violent and unpredictable as he had always been. He was also back to using drugs again if his pupils had been any indication. The only good news for Bonnie was that they had no reason cross paths routinely. He certainly wouldn't be making any appearances at the manor. Damon and Elijah were friends. However, he and Klaus hated each other. As teens and even into their early twenties, they were always competing against one another. Damon and Klaus were always trying to outdo each other with their cars, girlfriends, and parties. However, there was one place that Damon would always best Niklaus—he was the eldest Salvatore and therefore would be head of the family one day.

Bonnie hadn't realized it at the time but Niklaus had been using her. He probably thought that getting Bonnie to fall in love with him would have forced Sheila into arranging a marriage between them. However, he couldn't have imagined the plans the girl's grandmother had for her life. Bonnie was raised to be a Trojan horse that the Salvatores foolishly allowed through their gates.

Damon climbed into the car a few minutes later and the driver pulled away from the Mikaelson Mansion. "Stefan said that you are feeling light headed. I can stay home with you tonight if you want me to."

Bonnie knew that he really wanted to go to Klaus's party. While he wasn't fond of the Mikaelsons' third son, he did enjoy strippers like the majority of the male population. She had heard through the grapevine that the party was being held at Klaus's flagship club. His right hand man, Marcel, had kept his clubs afloat in his absence. "It's fine, Damon. I am just going to go to bed. You should go and have fun tonight."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I am positive. It's not as if I will be home alone. Meredith will be on hand if I suddenly start to feel worse."

"Okay. But I want you to call me if anything changes. I'll come home," he promised. Then Damon turned his attention to dozens of calls and texts that he had missed.

Bonnie hated that her first thought was that Damon was replying to Katherine or Andie. She didn't like how paranoid and jealous she was becoming. The young woman decided to close her eyes and allowed herself to doze off on the ride home.

She didn't stir again until a strong pair of arms lifted her out of the car. She was met by Damon's smirk when she opened her eyes.

"Is this the part of the pregnancy where you become a narcoleptic?"

She laughed a little as she yawned. She murmured, "I'm sorry. I'll be better once I get some sleep."

Damon kissed her forehead as he carried her into the house. "I know. Thank you for being amazing as always. You make those events bearable."

"I didn't do anything special."

He walked up to the master bedroom. Damon chuckled, "You stopped me from calling Andrew's wife his daughter."

Bonnie snorted. "Well, it's not an unreasonable assumption to make. Dinah is my age and Andrew is old enough to be your father."

Damon placed her on the bed. "She's wife number three. I wonder how many more wives he'll have before he finally kicks the bucket."

"That's not nice."

He chuckled and loosened his tie. "It's not as if you like him either."

Bonnie said, "That's because he always stares at my breasts when he speaks to me."

Damon's smile faltered. "He does what?"

"You've never noticed?"

His eyes darkened. "No, I've never noticed that asshole ogling my wife."

Bonnie lifted an eyebrow at his reaction. She said, "He's hardly the only person to do that. Andrew just happens to be the least discreet."

Damon kissed her but his look hadn't brightened. "Has he ever made a pass at you? Has anyone?"

Bonnie winced at the way his eyes bulged as he questioned her. He always looked demented when he did that. "He's been a bit flirtatious but he's never said anything out of line to me, Damon. I would have told you."

Damon made a mental note to have a word with Andrew about his wandering eyes. "I am going to get changed so that I can head out for the night. Do you need anything before I leave?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm fine."

Damon walked into their closet to find something to wear. He called out from inside the closet, "Who else?"

Bonnie asked, "What?"

He stepped into the doorway shirtless and asked, "Who else ogles you?"

"Are you being serious right now?" Bonnie asked. She was massaging her sore feet.

Damon debated answering truthfully. Finally, he grinned. "I'm only joking, bunny."

Bonnie shook her head when he disappeared into the closet again. Damon wasn't joking and this topic would surely come up again. However, she would worry about her husband's jealousy later. Right now, she needed a plan for dealing with Klaus. She refused to live through a repeat of tonight but endangering the alliance wasn't a solution.

Her threat to Klaus had been all smoke. The Salvatore organization would undergo enough upheaval once Damon became boss. The change of leadership would surely tempt their enemies to strike against them. The alliance was crucial in making sure their attempts failed. Bonnie had her problems with Damon but she didn't want him dead. More importantly, she wanted the organization to remain strong. One day this would all belong to her son. Bonnie would protect her son's inheritance by any means.


	20. A Mother's Love

Despite their best efforts, Ric's uncles had been unable to lure Giuseppe to the Salvatore compound. They weren't certain if he suspected a trap or if Giuseppe was just being overly cautious. In any case, his squirrelly older brother insisted on meeting Bruno and Giacomo at a café in the heart of Milazzo. The location ensured the safety of all three men. None of them wanted the heat that would come from turning the trendy tourist area into a shooting gallery. The Salvatores had a good working relationship with local law enforcement. The police largely looked the other way as long as they weren't dropping bodies out in the open.

Alaric was even more concerned about their trip to Milazzo now. Giuseppe could be lurking in the shadows while Damon met with the capos. He knew that his brother would have no reservations about killing his own son. Giuseppe's number one goal was always to survive. Therefore, the security on this trip would be suffocating. They were taking fifteen of their most loyal soldiers from this side of the Atlantic. They would also have twenty men from in and around Milazzo that Bruno trusted implicitly. Damon wouldn't be able to move an inch without another body shielding him. His nephew complained about the security plan. Damon thought it made him look weak. However, Alaric's job was to get the soon-to-be mob boss out of there alive.

Ric closed his book with a sigh when he realized that he had been staring at the same page for five minutes. His brain was enumerating all the ways in which everything could go horribly wrong. Moreover, catering to Damon's whims was making his life more difficult. The original plan had been to fly to Milazzo late Monday afternoon. However, his nephew had decided he wanted to leave Sunday night. Damon wanted to stopover in the Canary Islands to see Katherine. Ric didn't care about his nephew's affairs as long as he kept them out of the public eye. They didn't need the media glare that would surely come from that. However, the change in plans irritated Ric because it meant that he had less time to spend with his families. His personal life was in upheaval right now and Ric needed to do damage control before he left.

Alaric, Jo, and their girls had spent the evening celebrating Erik Mikaelson's christening. As soon as he dropped them off at home, he drove the 40 minutes out to Huntington Beach to see Abby and their kids. Unfortunately, the younger kids were already asleep when he arrived. Meanwhile, Jamie had locked himself in his bedroom as soon as his father walked into the house. Ric decided to stay the night so that he could see them in the morning at breakfast. Then he planned to spend the rest of the day with his wife and daughters. Alaric was trying to cram in as much quality time with his children as he could because he would be out of the country for at least a week.

Ric took off his reading glasses as Abby walked into the bedroom. He smiled and asked, "Did you have a good bath?"

Abby grabbed a bottle of lotion from her dresser and sat on the side of the bed. She nodded emphatically. "A long bath was just what the doctor ordered. I needed to relax and regroup. Savannah is not on board with my potty training plan."

Ric chuckled as he placed his long neglected book on the nightstand. At this rate, it would take him six months to finish the novel. "Was it really that bad?"

Abby scowled at Ric over her shoulder as she lotioned her toned legs. She said, "Your daughter took off her pull-ups and peed on the floor no less than four times today. The last time she had the nerve to laugh while I was cleaning it up."

He bit back a laugh because Abby wouldn't appreciate it. He knew that he was on thin ice with her. Ric scooted across the bed so that he could rub Abby's back. "This was only the first day, honey. It will get easier with time."

Abby relaxed a little and nodded. "I know that it will get easier. I have potty-trained three children successfully. I can do it again. Today was just stressful because Cooper was demanding my attention, too."

"Jealous of his baby sister?" he asked.

"Maybe," she hummed. "Or he was just bored. Cooper really enjoyed playing with the other kids while we were staying at the manor. I was thinking that I might talk to Bonnie about scheduling a playdate for Cooper and Sarah next week."

"That is a good idea. Those two are as thick as thieves whenever they get together. Reminds me of Stefan, Tyler, and Bonnie when they were that age."

Abby laughed a little as she closed the lotion bottle and put it on the nightstand. She scooted back to rest against the headboard. "Well, my Bonnie was more demanding than little Sarah is. The way she used to order those little boys around was comical."

Ric chuckled in response. "I seem to remember you having a similar temperament as kid."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied with a grin. "I was always sweet to you. You were the one that was mean to me."

Ric pulled Abby on top of him and rested his hands on her hips. He kissed her neck and murmured, "That's not how I remember it."

"I guess we can add senility to your growing list of ailments," she teased.

He laughed and rolled them over so that he was on top of Abby. "I don't know why you find it so funny. You are going to be the one responsible for taking care of me in my old age."

Abby said, "I think you completely misunderstand the role of mistress, Alaric. When you get old and decrepit, Jo will be the one taking care of you. I doubt I'll even have the opportunity to see you."

Ric's playful attitude faded away at the mention of his wife. "Why would you say that?"

"Because it is the truth."

He asked, "Where is this coming from?"

Abby sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Forget that I said anything. You were just about to prove how young and virile you are."

"No, I think that we need to talk. Things have been strained between us all week. I apologized for not telling you about what happened to Bonnie. I thought that you accepted my apology," he said.

She said, "I did."

"Then what the fuck was that crack you just made?" he asked.

Abby sighed, "I guess I am just worried about what comes next."

"What do you mean?" Alaric said as he sat beside her.

"What if Jo gives you an ultimatum once you tell her about us?"

He tensed at the suggestion. "She wouldn't do that."

Abby huffed and said, "I think that Jo is at the very least suspicious of us already, Alaric. She offered to set me up with someone from the hospital. Then she made a wisecrack about my age."

"What did you say?" he asked through gritted teeth.

She rolled her eyes and said, "I turned her down, but that is not the point. What if Jo makes you choose between her and me? I just need to know that you will still be part of the kids' lives. Jamie knows the truth now. You can't just disappear on him. It will break his heart."

"Jo wouldn't put me in that position. And she would get a rude awakening if she did," he replied. "But no matter what happens in either relationship, my kids will always come first. I am their dad before I am anything else."

Abby could rattle off a list of reasons why that was complete bullshit. At the top of her list would be his refusal to put his name on Jamie, Cooper, and Savannah's birth certificates. However, addressing that topic would just drag them into a fight that Abby didn't have the energy for now.

Ric could practically see Abby struggling against saying what was on her mind. She was confrontational by nature—so was he. It was the reason that their relationship had always been so volatile. Abby had only been afraid of one person and that was Sheila. She would cuss out everyone else at the drop of a hat. Abby gave him hell whenever she felt like it and didn't care that he dwarfed her in height and weight.

The doorbell ringing broke their stalemate.

"Who the hell would be coming here at this hour?" Ric asked.

Abby climbed out of the bed and pulled on her robe. "I have no idea. Maybe it's Jo coming to confront us."

"That's not funny," he snapped.

"I wasn't joking, dear. Stay here. I'll go see who it is."

Ric raked a hand through his sandy brown hair and groaned. He didn't need these complications right now.

Abby walked downstairs and opened the iron cutout in the front door. A thick piece of bulletproof glass sealed off the hole but allowed an unobstructed view of the porch. Abby and Alaric had made a compromise mingling design and safety when she chose a Craftsman style door with an iron viewer.

Her hazel eyes widened in surprise when she saw her daughter standing outside in her pajamas. Abby threw open the door. "Bonnie? What's wrong, baby girl?"

Bonnie's eyes were puffy as if she had been crying. "I'm scared and I don't know what to do, Mama. I don't know what to do now."

The older woman's heart nearly stuttered to a stop at the appearance of her oldest child. Bonnie hadn't called her 'Mama' since she was a little girl. "Come inside, baby."

Ric stood at the top of the stairs wearing his boxers. "Is everything okay?"

Bonnie froze as her eyes darted up to Alaric. "I'm sorry to bother you. I thought that he would be at Niklaus' party. I shouldn't have come here tonight. I'll go."

Abby closed the door. "Don't be silly. You aren't leaving here in this state. Alaric was just leaving. Weren't you?"

Ric frowned at his girlfriend. He didn't particularly like being kicked out of his own house. Moreover, he was interested in what was happening with Bonnie. He needed to know if it was something that he needed to talk about with Damon. They didn't need problems with the Benedettos right now.

He said, "Abigail…"

Abby glared at Ric for his stubbornness. However, she wrapped an arm around Bonnie's shoulders and guided her into the kitchen. "Have a seat, baby girl."

The green-eyed girl sniffled softly. "I don't want to cause trouble between the two of you. I know that you are both going through a lot because of what Jamie overheard. I should have called first but I just needed…"

Abby smoothed a stray curl behind Bonnie's ear. She said, "You needed your grams but all you've got is me."

There was no malice in her reply. She was grateful that Bonnie came to her but it also scared her. She couldn't imagine the situation that would force the girl onto her doorstep in tears.

She nodded. Bonnie figured that there was no sense in lying when her mother obviously knew the truth. "I just…it feels like we've been getting closer lately."

"We have been. I am glad that you came to me. I know how it feels to be completely alone in the world. But you're not alone because I am right here."

"Thank you," she whispered in response.

The older woman put on the kettle and pulled out a selection of teas. Abby kissed the top of Bonnie's head and then said, "Pick something. I will be back soon."

Bonnie sat down at the granite-topped island and pulled the container to her. A cup of tea sounded soothing with the way her stomach was churning in discomfort.

Abby squeezed Bonnie's shoulder as she walked by. She went upstairs to the master bedroom and frowned at Ric. She couldn't believe he was just lying in bed. "I wasn't joking. You need to go, Alaric."

He caught his pants when she threw them at his head. "Why do I have to leave? I can just stay up here while you talk to Bonnie."

She folded her arms over her chest and scowled. "She won't feel comfortable talking to me with you lurking around up here. And don't tell me that you won't try to eavesdrop so that you can report back to Damon. Because we both know that would be a bald-face lie."

Alaric walked over to Abby. "You are being ridiculous. I'm essentially her stepfather. I might actually be of some help here."

Her hazel eyes narrowed into slits as she laughed in his face. "You are no such thing. I am not about to have this argument with you. You need to leave, Alaric. My daughter needs to talk to me. It is probably about that idiot nephew of yours."

"Don't start a fight with me, Abigail," he warned.

"Then get the fuck out of my house, **_Alaric_**. Go home to your wife," she sneered.

Ric scrubbed a hand over his face. This attitude was why he was with Abby instead of at a strip club with his brother and nephews. Something was off between the two of them and he couldn't figure out what it was. He had this nagging fear that one day he would walk through that door to find his family gone. He asked, "Do you blame me for what Giuseppe did?"

She sighed heavily. "I blame a lot of people for what happened to Bonnie. I blame Giuseppe, my mother, Damon, and myself. And you are right. I blame you, too. You promised to look after my little girl. You promised to protect her from that monster. I trusted you. But I shouldn't have because you have always been Giuseppe's bitch. You didn't protect your own flesh and blood from him. I don't know what made me think you would protect mine."

The mobster's jaw ticked when Abby called him a bitch. No one else would be brave enough to speak to him so disrespectfully. "Do you really want to get into a fight with me tonight? Keep talking like that."

She sucked her teeth derisively. Abby said, "I don't have time to deal with you right now. My daughter needs me. Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. House."

Ric glared at Abby for a moment before he started putting on his clothes. He didn't really want to fight with her while Bonnie and the kids were in the house. After Ric finished getting dressed, he pulled Abby into a hug.

He kissed her tenderly and then said, "Call me when Bonnie leaves. I will come back. I think we need to talk."

She merely nodded in agreement. They did need to talk but it wouldn't be tonight. Everything that was festering between them would have to wait until he returned from Milazzo.

Ric took Abby's hand and walked downstairs with her. He kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Ric nodded and reluctantly walked out of the house.

She locked the door and then took a moment to collect herself. Afterwards, she walked into the kitchen to check on Bonnie.

Bonnie was blowing on her tea to cool it down. She said, "I made a cup for you, too."

Abby smiled tiredly. "Thank you. Let's go get comfortable in the living room."

The girl followed her mother with a package of buttery crackers she had dug out of the cabinet. She had a seat on the couch and toed off her shoes. Bonnie knew that she had to look insane showing up in the middle of the night dressed in her pajamas.

Abby took a sip of the tea. "Mmm, ginger. This was a good choice."

"I hoped it would settle my stomach. I have been nauseous for most of the day," she explained.

"Ginger tea is great for that. I had such terrible morning sickness when I was pregnant with Cooper."

Bonnie chewed at her bottom lip and said, "I hope that I didn't cause too much trouble between you and Alaric."

"Don't worry about Ric. He is a big boy. He will be just fine. Frankly, I could use a break from him right now," she confessed.

Bonnie nodded a little and slowly sipped her tea. She was losing her nerve now that she had Abby's full attention. Bonnie had only ever shared her story with a priest under the seal of confession. However, after what happened tonight she needed one safe place in the world. She prayed that her mother could be that place.

"What's going on, baby girl? What has you all worked up?" Abby asked gently.

She took a deep breath as tears began to blur her vision. She explained, "I am about to trust you with something that only three people in the world know. You can't tell anyone about this. You can't tell Ric, Lucy, or Uncle Johnny. You definitely can't tell Damon. I just...I need you to be in my corner. I need one person that is going to take my side. If you can't do that then send me home. I won't hold it against you, Mama."

Abby put her mug down and scooted closer to her daughter. "I swear on my life that I won't say a word to anyone. I just want to help you. You are scaring me. I have never seen you like this before. What's wrong?"

"I made a mistake when I was sixteen. Now it is coming back to haunt me and I don't know how to fix it. This situation could ruin everything that I have worked so hard to achieve. But the part that scares me the most is how people would look at me if they knew the truth. I don't even want to think about what Damon would do," she explained in a trembling voice.

She said, "Most teenagers think they are invincible. I certainly thought I was at that age. I got into so much trouble that your grams considered sending me to live with Uncle Johnny. I'm sure that she used me as a cautionary tale for you."

Bonnie smiled a little because Big John was a big ole teddy bear. He wouldn't have been any firmer than Sheila was with Abby. He always let Bonnie get away with murder whenever she visited him.

Abby continued, "I don't care what happened. I am not going to judge you. I love you and we will figure out a solution to this. I know that I have let you down in the past but I am here now, baby girl. I'm not going anywhere."

The young woman wanted to believe her mother because she couldn't hold this burden alone. "The year that I turned sixteen, Grams and I stayed at the manor as we did every summer. Caroline and Stefan's twins had just been born a few months earlier. One night, there was this huge beach party in Malibu. Stefan and Caroline decided to make it their first night out as new parents. I begged Stefan to let me go with them. Grams and Giuseppe were out of the country on business at the time. Stefan figured it would be safe since there was bound to be armed security at the party. It was Niklaus' 25th birthday after all. Mikael might not have been fond of him but he always made sure that he was protected."

She winced in sympathy. She had seen firsthand just how much Mikael despised Niklaus. Abby never understood how Esther allowed the man to treat her son in such a heartless way. Sheila would always standup to Giuseppe when she thought he was being too hard on the boys. It didn't matter that they weren't her blood, she wasn't about to stand by and watch children be abused. Unfortunately, it only worked while she was there to put her foot down.

"The night started out fun. I was having a great time but then Damon and Sybil showed up. I hated that cow more than I hated anything else in the world. It was bad enough that she was dating the guy that I had this silly schoolgirl crush on but she was a total bitch to me whenever she got the chance. Damon lost his shit when he realized that Stefan brought me to Niklaus' party. He made me stick close to him and it drove Sybil up the wall. I might have antagonized her a bit by making Damon pay more attention to me. Eventually, she got fed up and 'accidentally' wasted an entire pitcher of strawberry daiquiri all over me. I looked like a drowned rat. I had never been so embarrassed in my life. Fortunately, Rebekah and Niklaus were living at the beach house at the time. Rebekah told me that I could go upstairs and take something from her closet. Niklaus walked into her bedroom while I was changing clothes. He apologized and then left the room while I finished getting dressed. But when I was about to head back downstairs to the party…he stopped me. He asked me to hang out with him since it was his birthday after all. He said that he was having the worst birthday ever. And he kinda was…he'd just found out that Hope was his daughter. Elijah and Hayley had lied to him about it for three years. He only found out because Mikael blurted it out in the middle of an argument."

Abby's heart was thumping loudly in her ears because she didn't like where this was headed.

"I figured there was no harm in hanging out with Niklaus. I had known him for years. He had never shown any interest in me before. I thought it was innocent at the time. We were playing this game where we traded shots of vodka while sharing stories about our shitty parents," Bonnie paused. "I'm sorry…"

She shook her head. "No, you had and have every right to say that about me and Rudy. We have both let you down."

Bonnie took a deep breath and said, "Niklaus kissed me while we were sitting on his bed. I wasn't expecting it. I didn't really know what to do. I had only kissed one other person before him. It was kind of nice at first but then he took things too far…"

Abby's hands curled into fists. However, she managed to keep her voice unaffected by the storm brewing inside her. She asked, "Did he rape you?"

Bonnie lowered her eyes and fiddled with the Saint Christopher's medal hanging from her neck. "At the time, I didn't think so. But I'm older now and I know that what he did to me wasn't okay. I was stupid for even going into his bedroom. It's my fault…"

In that moment, Bonnie looked her relatively young age. Abby just wanted to hold her, so she pulled the girl into her arms. She smoothed her hand over Bonnie's hair and murmured soothing words.

She melted into her mother's embrace and let a few silent tears fall. That feeling of warmth and comfort allowed Bonnie to let go. Her sobs were muffled against Abby's robe.

"It's okay, baby girl. I've got you," she whispered. Abby didn't know exactly what happened but she had a good idea. "Did it happen just once?"

She shook her head and said, "It happened a few times that summer. The worst time was when we were at the Mikaelson's house following Mikael's funeral. I had never seen Niklaus so mad or so drunk before. I was scared that he was really going to hurt me that time. Niklaus forced me to perform oral sex on him in the pool house."

Abby stared in shock because she had attended dinner at the Mikaelson's house the night of the funeral. She couldn't believe that maniac had raped her daughter under her nose. Abby searched her memories for even the slightest hint that something had been wrong with Bonnie that night. "Why didn't you tell your grams?" she asked gently.

"I was scared that she would be disappointed in me. It's not like I ever said no to him. Not once. Whenever he wanted to touch me, I just let him. I never fought him. I just took it. I thought if he made me orgasm that I must have liked what he was doing on some level," she whispered.

"It doesn't matter if you didn't say no. The point is that you didn't say yes. Besides, you were too young to consent even if you had wanted to have sex with him. He was 25 years old and you were sixteen. He had no business touching you for even a second. He was the adult. Niklaus knew better and he took advantage of you. How far did this go, Bonnie?"

Some small part of the girl knew that her mother was right. However, that tiny voice was drowned out by the louder one that berated Bonnie for being weak and stupid. That voice was also the one that made her believe that Damon's disinterest in her was because there was something wrong with her. She wasn't pretty enough. She didn't do enough to please him sexually. She wasn't interesting enough. It was the voice that made her question why her own parents hadn't wanted her. Bonnie hated those weaknesses that hid deep within her soul.

Bonnie was powerful. She was smart. She could be as deadly as any of the men that worked for her family. She had the ability to bring the Salvatore organization to its knees. Yet there she sat crying over something that should have been water under the bridge. The amount of self-loathing rippling through Bonnie was staggering.

"We never had intercourse. It was mostly just oral sex and sometimes he would penetrate me with his fingers. He never went any farther that summer. By the time Grams and I visited for Thanksgiving, Niklaus was already in prison."

She asked, "Did seeing him tonight bring all of those memories rushing back? Is that what upset you?"

Bonnie nodded. "But it is more than that. He cornered me tonight after the christening. He was drunk and high but his intentions were clear."

"Did that bastard touch you?" Abby practically snarled.

Bonnie didn't want to lie to her mother but she was worried that Abby would feel compelled to tell someone. "Damon showed up before it went too far but Niklaus promised to see me again soon. I was at home alone tonight when he called my phone. I don't even know how he got the number. I don't know what to do, Mom. I love Damon but I don't think he would understand if I told him the truth. There is also the chance that he might kill Niklaus in a rage and you know what would happen then."

She could see the irony in her fears. Bonnie was worried that her cheating husband would think of her as tainted or damaged goods because of something that happened before they were married. However, the men in this life were territorial. Honestly, most men were territorial regardless of their line of work.

Abby took a deep breath because Bonnie needed her to be calm. She couldn't believe that her little girl had been holding in this pain for five years. She held her daughter's tear stained face in her hands.

"I know that I can't tell you not to feel ashamed but you did nothing wrong. Niklaus saw a broken little girl and he took advantage of you. I am so sorry that we didn't give you a life where you felt safe enough to tell us what this man was doing to you. Your grams loved you so much. She would have never let this stand…not even for the sake of the alliance. You need to know that. Nothing was ever more important than you, Bonnie."

Bonnie hugged her mother and cried for a long time. There wasn't a magic word or phrase that could fix this. More than the emotional toll, the threat to her safety was very real. Niklaus could be reasoned with when he was sober. He was charming and could be incredibly sweet. Bonnie believed that some part of him truly cared her because they were kindred spirits. However, tonight was proof that he was off the wagon or perhaps had never been on it. There were plenty of ways for a man of Niklaus' means to obtain illicit substances while in prison.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered to her mother in a broken voice.

Abby stroked her hair. "We will figure it out, baby girl."

She sniffled. "I appreciate you listening to me. I couldn't tell anyone else. Lucy would fly off the handle and try to kill Niklaus. You know how quick she can go from 0 to 100."

Abby knew that Bonnie didn't mean it as an insult but it was. Her daughter didn't think that she could or would protect her from a man that meant her harm. This was a man that molested and took advantage of her as a teenager. However, Abby realized that she had earned her daughter's doubt.

"Do you want to stay over tonight? Your brothers and Savannah would be thrilled to wake up with you here in the morning. I could make blueberry and ricotta pancakes for you."

"I can't. Ric will probably tell Damon that I came here in tears. I am already going to have to make up a lie for why I was here. I'll need a bigger one to explain why I stayed the night. Can I just sit here a little longer?"

Abby kissed her forehead and stood up. "You can sit here as long as you want, baby girl. Make yourself comfortable on the couch. I am going to go upstairs to check on Savannah."

Bonnie curled up on one end of the couch and closed her eyes. It was silly but she felt comforted being there with her mother. She would worry about Niklaus later.

Abby walked upstairs and went into Savannah's room. The little girl was sleeping peacefully. Abby remembered when Bonnie was this small. It was before everything went so off track in her life. Maybe if she had run with Bonnie, her daughter wouldn't have gone through all of this hell.

She felt helpless and spineless. Bonnie was fighting for her life and Abby was just watching. Maybe she offered a shoulder on occasion or worked Alaric for information but it wasn't enough. Bonnie needed Sheila but Abby was here now. It was time for her to be the mother that Bonnie deserved. She had the reputation for being a peace-loving hippie that believed in homeopathic remedies. However, Abby had been forged in the same fire that produced her daughter, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was capable of getting shit done when necessary.

Bonnie was sleeping peacefully by the time Abby returned.

Abby grabbed a chenille throw blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over her daughter. She pressed a kissed atop the girl's head. "Mama's here now…"


	21. Just To Be Close To You

A/N: Thanks to everyone that has left a review on this story! I can't believe that we have already reached the 200 mark. I have enjoyed all of the feedback from everyone.

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A ringing phone awakened Bonnie from a vivid nightmare. She hugged her midsection protectively as she slowly sat up on the couch. Bonnie began to panic when she did not recognize her surroundings immediately. It was as if the nightmare she had awakened from was coming true. However, her heart rate slowly returned to normal as she remembered that she was at Abby's house. She looked around the room for her mother but found that she was alone. Bonnie wondered for how long she had been asleep. She had only meant to rest her eyes for a few minutes. Unfortunately, sleep hadn't come easy for her since she received Niklaus' gift a few days ago. Some nights she couldn't sleep at all. While other nights her sleep was restless and full of nightmares.

Bonnie's phone started ringing again just as the haze of sleep began to lift from her tired mind. She searched her purse for the phone and frowned upon seeing that the incoming call was from a private number. Her mind automatically went to the call she received from Niklaus earlier in the night. Part of Bonnie wanted to send the call to voicemail. She felt steadier than she did earlier but Bonnie was in no shape to go another round with him. However, she knew how persistent Niklaus could be. He wouldn't give up until he got her on the phone again. He had no reason to be discreet since Damon was likely still at his party. Klaus probably figured that she was all alone.

She steeled herself in hopes that she could remain calm. Bonnie did not want Klaus to know that he had rattled her in their earlier conversation. She couldn't let him think that harassing phone calls in the middle of the night was the way to get under her skin. Bonnie wanted his lasting memory of her to be that brief moment tonight when she had held his life in her hands. It would have been so easy to sever his carotid artery with that switchblade. She had grown up in the five years that he spent in prison. Bonnie was no longer the little girl too afraid of him to protect herself.

She answered the phone on the last ring. "Hello?"

"Good evening, love," Klaus said. His smirk was practically audible over the phone.

She was grateful that Klaus sounded less impaired than he did a couple hours ago. Bonnie hoped that meant he had stopped drinking for the night. Trying to forecast Niklaus' moods while he was intoxicated was a fool's errand. His highs were as tall as skyscrapers, but his lows could be deeper than the Grand Canyon. One never knew if Klaus would lock himself in his room while in the throes of a meltdown or if he would lash out and brutally beat someone within an inch of his or her life. The latter had landed him in prison for five years after he accepted a plea agreement for assault with a deadly weapon.

Bonnie glanced at the time on the phone and quipped, "I would think that 'Good morning' would be more appropriate considering the time."

He hummed in agreement. "I suppose you are right about that. Unfortunately, my night is only beginning. There are just so many sycophants here to congratulate me on my release from prison. I despise them all. I am avoiding the lot of them for now by sitting in my office. Elijah will surely come to fetch me sooner rather than later."

She rolled her eyes at Klaus and his perpetual pity party. She understood that his life sucked. There was a time when Bonnie would have felt sympathy for him. She might have even been willing to commiserate with him because her life sucked, too. However, he had killed any goodwill in her heart a long time ago.

"What do you want from me, Niklaus," she asked in an even tone. Bonnie was annoyed but there was no sense in antagonizing Niklaus when he was calm.

There was a long pause. "I am sorry, petal."

Bonnie found herself flummoxed by Niklaus once again. She had expected many things from this phone call but an apology certainly wasn't on the list. Initially, she wondered if this was some sort of trick. However, she could hear the sincerity in Niklaus' somber voice. Apparently, feeling guilty about what he had done to Bonnie was part of his pity party. She genuinely wondered if a psychiatrist had ever evaluated him. Were alcoholism, frequent drug use, and general sociopathy the cause of his violent outbursts? Perhaps an underlying diagnosis could explain Niklaus' dual nature. For all the pain and terror he had caused Bonnie, she knew that he was capable of love and compassion.

She licked her lips nervously and asked, "What exactly are you apologizing for?"

"I am sorry for what happened at my brother's house tonight. I should not have been so rough and unkind to you. It has been such a long time since I have had to handle someone so delicate and precious. I forgot my own strength. You know that I would never try to hurt you on purpose, petal. I was just frustrated. It was infuriating watching you on Damon's arm all evening."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at his half-ass attempt at an apology. This was par for the course for Niklaus. He always apologized profusely for being rough with her. When Bonnie was a young girl, his words had been so convincing that she would forgive him. Niklaus had gifted Bonnie five beautifully illustrated original poems in the days following the assault after Mikael's funeral. He swore that their love was true because she was the only one that could understand him.

She replied, "Damon is my husband now. I am sorry if that upsets you. I understand it must be difficult acclimating to a world that has moved on in your absence."

"You must see how unworthy Damon is of you. He never gave you the time of day until your ailing grandmother dangled the keys to the kingdom in front of him. It is power that he covets…not you."

Niklaus had just targeted the major conflict in her marriage. Damon had been too old to show any romantic interest in Bonnie before they were married. He treated her as if she were a younger sibling that needed his protection. Marrying him had complicated their relationship. They were expected to behave as a married couple would but Damon didn't know how to merge the disparate strands of their past and their present. Now the couple found themselves in a relationship where he jealously asserted his claim over Bonnie but didn't actually desire her. She often wondered if she divorced Damon would he mourn the loss of power more or the loss of his trophy wife.

However, Bonnie couldn't be truthful with Klaus. It would only encourage his delusions of them continuing what they once had. No matter what happened in her marriage to Damon, she would never allow Niklaus to touch her again.

She countered his argument with a simple reply. "I love him, Nik."

"You love him?" he spat out bitterly.

"I do. He loves me, too. We are happy together, Niklaus. I know that might be hard to hear but you will find someone else that can be yours—completely."

Niklaus gave a sharp bark of laughter. "He loves you? Are you really so blind that you don't see that he is making a fool of you? I have been out of prison for less than a week and even I know that he is cheating on you with several women. You are letting that imbecile take advantage of your kind nature! You deserve better than the likes of Damon Salvatore."

Bonnie knew that the message was accurate even if she despised the messenger. She hated how easily he dented the armor that she had carefully built around her life. However, Bonnie's insecurities about her marriage lived close to the surface.

"You have a lot of nerve accusing my husband of taking advantage of me. Damon has his flaws but he has never hurt me physically. He has never made me do anything that I didn't want to do. There are worse fates than having a husband with a wandering eye."

The line went silent for a moment. Like a wounded animal, Klaus roared, "And you are saying that I have? What manner of brainwashing has Damon subjected you to in my absence? I have never placed an unwanted hand on you. I would never!"

Bonnie was taken aback by Niklaus' vehement belief in his innocence. He truly believed that he hadn't done anything wrong. In the past, Bonnie would have believed him, too. She would have begun to doubt herself. Not anymore, she knew better now.

Something inside Bonnie snapped and she screamed, "I can't tell if you are delusional or if all the booze and coke you have abused over the years has left you brain damaged. You raped me, Niklaus! You raped me repeatedly that summer. Every time you have ever touched me, it was unwanted. You forced yourself on me when I was sixteen years old and I just took it. I couldn't accuse a Mikaelson of rape! Who would have believed me? What would have been the consequences if they did?"

He sputtered, "Who has put this fiction into your head? I have never had to force any woman in order to get her to lie with me. Do you know how many women would willingly drop to their knees to please me?"

Bonnie steamrolled right through his questions because there were a few things she needed to get off her chest. She asked, "What exactly do you think happened tonight at Elijah's house, Niklaus? I wanted to leave the room and you would not let me. You didn't ask if I wanted you to touch me. You just took what you wanted from me. It is what you have always done! You have never once asked permission. You have just taken from me as if my body belongs to you."

The line went quiet again for nearly a minute before Klaus spoke again. "You make me sound as if I am some sort of monster."

"Sometimes you were monster to me, Niklaus. I made so many excuses for you. I blamed the drinking and the cocaine. I blamed your screwed up childhood. I blamed Hayley and Elijah for hurting you. Most of all I blamed myself. I thought maybe I had done something to deserve what you did to me," she replied in a broken voice.

He swore, "I never meant to hurt you. You were the first person after Hayley that I thought understood me. You knew that I was the Big Bad Wolf and you didn't run from me. I wanted you long before the night of my birthday party. You were just this beautiful burst of pure goodness and I thought being with you could make me better. You were going to be my salvation. I still think that. We could be happy together, Bonnie."

"I believe that you truly think that. But you don't hurt someone the way you have hurt me if you care for them, Niklaus. I get that Mikael really fucked you up. My parents really fucked me up, too. But at some point, you can't keep blaming other people for your bullshit. You raped me—not Mikael or Esther. Maybe it's partly my fault because I never asked you to stop."

Klaus asked, "Why didn't you? If I was hurting you so much why did you never ask me to stop?"

Bonnie said, "Because I was terrified that I would make you angry. I thought…it might somehow make everything worse."

He went quiet again because Bonnie had just turned his life upside down. "I can't begin to count the amount of time that I spent with my head between your thighs, Bonnie. Have you rewritten our history so much that you have forgotten how many times I made you cum in my mouth?"

"It just made things more confusing for me. I couldn't control the way my body responded to what you were doing…"

Loud music blared in the background as someone opened the door to Klaus' office. Briefly, the phone went silent as he muted the call. A few moments later, he said, "I have to go, love. I am afraid duty calls. Maybe we can talk…just talk again soon. I feel this is a conversation that we need to finish."

Bonnie stared at the phone after the call ended abruptly. She sat there as still as a statue while trying to process the conversation. Did Niklaus truly not understand how badly he had hurt her?

Abby cleared her throat and said, "Bonnie…"

The girl's blood ran cold when she saw Tyler and her mother standing a few feet away. She had been so focused on her conversation that she didn't hear them walk into the room. Bonnie tried to recall the last few minutes of her conversation with Klaus. However, everything felt distorted because of the sheer intensity of her emotions.

She choked out, "How much did you hear, Ty?"

Tyler was visibly shaking with rage. Through gritted teeth, he said, "I heard enough."

"I'm sorry, baby girl. I know that you wanted to keep what happened between the two of us. I invited Tyler inside because I didn't know how long you would be asleep. I could not just leave him out in the car all night. I didn't expect…"

She shook her head stoically. "This isn't your fault, Mom. I am the one that decided to have that conversation out in the open. I'm lucky that I didn't wake up one of the kids."

Abby couldn't have planned for Tyler to overhear the conversation between Bonnie and Niklaus. However, she was happy that it played out that way. Her daughter was stubborn and brave to a fault. Bonnie needed protection from Klaus. Abby had no doubt that Tyler would keep Bonnie safe by any means necessary. The Lockwoods were loyal to her family but it was more than that. Abby had not missed the longing looks Bonnie and Tyler had shared over the Thanksgiving holiday. There was something more than business and friendship brewing between the youngsters.

"I need you to stay calm, Ty. Just hear me out before you do anything crazy," she implored in a soft voice.

He had a murderous look on his face. "You've got to be fucking kidding me, Bonnie. You want me to be calm?"

Bonnie prayed that a bottomless pit would open beneath her feet and swallow her whole. She didn't know if she would ever be able to look Tyler in the eyes again. It had been difficult sharing something so personal with her mother. She chose Abby because Bonnie trusted her mother to keep her shameful secret. Moreover, she knew that Abby had made too many mistakes to judge her too harshly. Her relationship with Tyler was much more complicated. He was unquestionably Bonnie's best friend and most trusted confidant. However, he was also her employee. She didn't know how he could ever respect her after learning how easily Niklaus had taken advantage of her.

She said, "I can explain."

"There is nothing to explain. I am going to fucking kill him!" he swore. Tyler's mind was racing as he thought of ways to kill Klaus tonight. "Is he still at the Full Moon?"

Bonnie stood from the couch and rushed over to Tyler. She knew that his words were not an idle threat. She grabbed onto his leather jacket to prevent him from leaving the house. "You know that you can't kill him, Tyler."

Tyler barely even heard Bonnie's desperate words because his brain was on autopilot. All he could think about was ending Klaus as slowly and painfully as humanly possible. He would make what Mason and Brady did to Freddie look like a walk in the park.

"No, you aren't talking me out of this, Bonnie. You said that he raped you—more than once. Now he is out of prison and thinks that he can pick up where he left off? He's out of his fucking mind and you are too if you think that he gets to live after what he's done to you!"

Abby interjected, "Maybe the two of you should talk about this in private. There is a guest suite just down the hall. Either Jamie or Cooper is bound to wake up if you keep arguing out here."

Bonnie looked properly chastened. She was only in this mess because she didn't have the foresight to talk to Klaus in private. She took Tyler's hand. "Just hear me out, please."

Tyler was out for blood but he couldn't deny Bonnie's request. He had never been able to say no to her. He nodded. "Fine…"

Bonnie squeezed his hand in gratitude and led him down the hall. She expected Tyler to pull away from her in disgust but he just squeezed her hand tight. She walked into the first floor suite and turned on the overhead light.

He closed and locked the door so they wouldn't be interrupted. Tyler was very aware that Alaric could return at anytime.

She sat down on the loveseat in the suite's sitting room. "Will you sit with me?"

Tyler took a deep breath and sat beside Bonnie. He could tell that she was nervous and upset. He didn't want to burden her with his anger. However, he didn't know how long he would be able to contain it. He was practically foaming at the mouth but there was also this horrible feeling of guilt. Maybe Bonnie would have told him the truth years ago if he hadn't been such a hothead.

Bonnie took a deep breath and said, "The best thing for everyone is if we just leave the past in the past, Tyler. It was all water under the bridge until Niklaus was released from prison. He got a little too close tonight after Erik's christening but it didn't go too far. I was able to stop him."

Tyler's eyes darkened but he kept his tone mild. "You should have never been put in that position, Bon. How did you get him to stop tonight?"

She looked down at her shaking hands. "I pulled my switchblade and threatened to kill him. Damon came looking for me before I had to make good on my threat. But Niklaus was already backing off at that point."

Tyler tensed when he learned that Bonnie had taken a switchblade to the christening. It meant that she had been expecting Klaus to accost her. "What if he goes after you again?"

"I think I really got through to him just now on the phone. He seemed seriously surprised that I viewed what happened between us as rape. Besides, he has only ever been violent with me while he was drinking or using cocaine," she explained. She wanted to downplay everything to soothe Tyler.

He ran a hand over his face. "Mother of God. I can't believe that you kept this from me, Bon. I can't protect you if I don't know what I am protecting you from. I knew that something was up when you got those fucking books. I have never seen you look so scared. I used every contact that I have trying to figure out who sent them to you. Klaus is a rabid animal. He's dangerous and needs to be put down, Bonnie."

"The alliance…" she started.

He bellowed, "Fuck the alliance! Fuck Niklaus Mikaelson and every other fucking Mikaelson. They can all burn with him for all I care. Who else knows about this?"

Bonnie flinched involuntarily when he started yelling. "I told my mom tonight. Years ago, I confessed to a priest. No one else knows and no one else can know. You know that Niklaus is untouchable. People learning the truth puts us all in an awkward position. Do you think I would be able to live with everyone knowing that he raped me? Can you imagine how Damon would look at me? Do you think he wants a wife that is damaged goods? He barely wants me now."

Tyler softened when he saw the tears falling down Bonnie's face. He felt like such a jackass for raging instead of focusing on the fact that she was hurting. He shouldn't have been surprised that Bonnie would have kept something like this a secret. She was always trying to live up to her family's insane legacy. Tyler knew a little something about living up to the family name. Some children wanted to be doctors or firefighters when they grew up. However, from a very young age Tyler knew that he would one day follow in the footsteps of his father, uncles, and grandfather.

He gently wiped away her tears. "Don't talk about yourself that way. You are not damaged goods, Bon. What Klaus did to you was not your fault and doesn't change how amazing you are. Damon is lucky to have you even if he's too self-centered to realize that."

"Come on…you know how this goes. Men can fuck as many women as they want but we aren't given the same kind of freedom. Damon isn't going to want a wife that was assaulted by someone he hates. If Damon learns the truth, he won't want to be with me anymore. Then all of this would have been for nothing," Bonnie replied in a broken voice.

"Let me kill Klaus and no one will ever have to know what he did."

Bonnie shook her head. "If you get caught, Damon will execute you to preserve the alliance. It's the only thing that would appease Elijah."

He shrugged.

"No, don't pretend as if it's not a big deal. You know I wouldn't let Damon execute you. I would have to make him understand why you would do something that would risk plunging us into a mob war. Either way my secret would be revealed."

Tyler asked, "Do you remember when I took the oath?"

"Of course I remember."

He said, "I swore that I would give my life for this family. I meant it then and I mean it now, Bonnie. I would die to keep you safe. Others would step up in my absence. Matt would go to the ends of the Earth for your family."

Bonnie said, "I don't want you to die for me, Tyler. I would go crazy if I lost you. You are the only person in the world that I know loves the real me. You overheard me talking about my weakest moment and you are still loyal. You are still here willing to die for me. After Giuseppe attacked me, it was you that I sought out—not my husband. I could never replace you with anyone else."

"You are talking bullshit now. You are not weak, Bon. You are one of the strongest people that I know. Life keeps dealing you knockout punches and you keep standing back up. I don't know if I would be able to keep going the way that you have. You deserve better than this life, Bon. If I could take you away from all of this I would."

She sniffled softly. "You're a good friend, Ty. You make all of this bearable."

He caressed her back and sighed. "Life isn't just supposed to be bearable."

"We both know that happiness was never really in the cards for me. I was just too stupid to realize that in the beginning. I had a fairytale in my mind. Damon was supposed to be my prince charming. But he's no prince and I am certainly not a princess."

"You aren't stupid, Bon."

She asked, "What would you call it? Damon was never going to love me. He is not built for it…at least not in a way that would be satisfying to me. After everything that has happened, Damon is going to see Katherine before he goes to Milazzo. I told him once that he makes me feel as if I am the other woman. I have come to realize that I am. He always puts his own gratification above what I need."

Tyler replied, "Wanting to be loved isn't stupid. And no matter how Damon feels about you, I can say with certainty that you are loved, Bonnie. I know this because I love you. I always have and I always will."

"Don't say things like that," she pleaded.

"Why can't I tell you the truth? It's not as if I am saying something that you don't already know in your heart," Tyler said as he placed his hand over her heart.

"You're going to make me want something that I can't have. My grandmother suffered years under the cruelty that Giuseppe called love to put me in this position. To walk away from all of her plans would be to dishonor the woman that raised me. For what? She didn't promise that Damon would love me. No, she warned me that he was a broken man that would cheat on me with Katherine and anyone else that smiled at him prettily."

Tyler looked into her eyes and asked, "Who says we can't have what we both want? Haven't we both given enough for our families? There is more than one way to take over the Salvatores' business. You don't have to stay married to someone that makes you feel worthless."

Bonnie lifted an eyebrow. "I'm not going to kill Damon."

He chuckled. "I wasn't suggesting that we kill him. There are other ways to take the family from him. Trust me. I have been thinking about this for a long time. If you are honest with yourself, I know that you have, too. You're too smart not to have an exit strategy."

"How long is a long time?" she asked curiously.

"Probably since the moment my old man sent me to Milazzo for the summer to keep me away from you," he replied.

Tyler had never been so angry with his father than he was that year. Richard had sent him to stay the summer with the Loiaconos in Milazzo. It was under the guise of strengthening his ties to the old country. In truth, Richard had learned that Tyler and Bonnie were talking on the phone every day while she was at home in Shadow Hills. Sheila always intended for Bonnie to marry Damon one day. However, ideally it would have happened when Bonnie was in her mid-20's. Richard and Sheila had both been concerned that the teenagers would fall in love and ruin a plan that had been years in the making.

"No matter what you decide, I am always going to have your back, Bon. I just want you to be happy and safe," he replied.

"Does this mean that you won't go kill Klaus tonight?" she asked. Bonnie traced shapes on the back of Tyler's hand. She would call Richard to stop him if necessary.

Tyler frowned but shook his head. "No, I won't kill him tonight."

"And tomorrow night?" she asked. Bonnie slid into Tyler's lap and relaxed when his arms tightened around her.

"Ask me tomorrow night," he murmured into her hair.

"You won't tell anyone else, right?"

Tyler looked into her eyes and said, "I won't tell anyone else. This stays between us. I promise. But Niklaus is going to pay for this. The world is a safer place when that animal is locked away in a cage."

Bonnie relaxed more and rested her head on his shoulder. Sending Klaus back to prison was a novel idea. She stifled a yawn.

"You're still tired. Why don't you try to get some more sleep?"

She shook her head. Bonnie wanted to be close to him. "I'm comfortable right here."

Tyler said, "There's a bedroom right through those doors. I promise to stay until you fall asleep. You and the kiddos need rest, Bon."

She tucked her face against his neck and murmured, "My mom might come in…"

"That's why they invented locks."

Bonnie slowly stood from his lap and said, "Okay."

Tyler walked over to the door and double-checked the lock. Then he followed Bonnie into the bedroom. He kicked off his shoes and climbed into the queen-sized bed. "C'mere."

She snuggled into his outstretched arms and closed her eyes. Bonnie's mind lingered on something Tyler said a few minutes ago. "You know...I love you, too," she whispered.

He stroked Bonnie's back soothingly. "I know…"


	22. Born Under A Bad Sign

Damon sat back with a smirk on his face as he watched his little brother make a complete ass of himself. Stefan didn't exactly share the rest of his family's alcoholic tendencies so after a handful of shots he was usually on the wrong side of buzzed. They had been at Niklaus' party for over three hours and Stefan was well past his limit. At some point, he had lost his shirt and started chugging from a bottle of champagne while he danced. A better older brother would have stepped in to make Stefan calm down. However, Damon was enjoying the display too much to do that. Besides, it wasn't as if he would let Stefan get into any real trouble. It was just nice to see Saint Stefan let loose every once in awhile.

The trip to Milazzo weighed heavily on Damon's mind. He had some reservations about allowing Stefan to become more involved in the family business. He still didn't understand why his brother had made such a sudden about face on the issue. Alaric, Zacharias, and Damon had gone to great lengths to protect Stefan from Giuseppe's abuse. However, they had also sought to protect Stefan from the harsh realities of mob life. They never wanted him to have to get bloody the way that they all did. Damon had learned how to torture and kill their enemies before he was old enough to drive a car. He vowed then he would never allow his father to subject his baby brother to the same torments. Defying Giuseppe had not been easy but Zach and Ric had backed him up on the matter.

Damon wanted his younger brother to have as normal life as possible. Stefan was a good kid that married his high school sweetheart. Caroline and Stefan were sickeningly sweet in their love for one another. However, Damon also had less altruistic reasons for steering Stefan away from the blood and death that consumed him and their uncles. Stefan had always been his older brother's moral compass. Damon often evaluated his actions by considering how he would explain them to Stefan's disappointed face. Damon knew without a shadow of doubt that Stefan would be the one to pull him back if he ever stumbled into the madness that had claimed their father long ago. No one else would be able to reach him.

Damon was close to getting the thing he had worked for his entire life. However, he found himself approaching the precipice with trepidation. He held no illusions about the fact that he was an abomination. Giuseppe had shaped his son into a remorseless killer. Yet he still managed to retain some barely noticeable morsel of humanity. Damon feared that he would lose that remaining shred of humanity once he became the boss. His father had not always been a demented beast that ruined everything good and pure in his path. His uncle, Bruno, often told stories of how happy and full of wonder Giuseppe was as a boy. Damon wondered had something sinister always lurked within the depths of his father's soul. Perhaps some life-changing event could explain the cruelty he heaped onto the people he claimed to love.

Damon had listened to the recording of Giuseppe and Sheila's conversation repeatedly since he received it from Bonnie. He wondered when Sheila had stopped loving his father and began to view him as her enemy. Was it after his grandfather arranged for her to miscarry what would have been Damon's older brother or sister? Had his father done some unspeakable thing to the woman he claimed to love above all else? Damon certainly would not put it past him. Giuseppe viewed women as disposable playthings. People called Damon a playboy, but he couldn't begin to count the number of women Giuseppe had bedded over the years. On numerous occasions, he accidentally walked in on his father with some woman that he had never seen before bent over some hard surface.

Zach chuckled from beside his nephew. He took a puff from his cigar and said, "He is covered in stripper glitter and cheap perfume. I can't wait to see Caroline's face when we take his drunken ass home."

Damon laughed and shook his head. Stefan had a hall pass of sorts from Caroline. She trusted her husband to remain faithful even if he enjoyed a lap dance or two. Infidelity had never been an issue in their five-year marriage. Stefan trusted his wife, too. Caroline had recently visited a strip club while in Las Vegas for her cousin's bachelorette party. At the time, he couldn't believe how unbothered Stefan had been by the whole thing. Damon couldn't imagine ever allowing Bonnie to visit a nightclub let alone a strip club. It had never come up since she had only turned 21-years-old recently. However, he hoped that it never came up. Damon did not enjoy dictating Bonnie's activities.

He said, "I am just glad that Blondie gave him a hall pass for tonight. Sober Stefan is a buzz kill. And you know how pathetic he gets when she is pissed with him. I wouldn't want to deal with that shit since he's joining us on the trip to Milazzo."

"I still can't believe that Alaric agreed to let Stefan come with us," Zach said in a dubious tone. His older brother had belatedly gained his approval. Zach was not in favor of Stefan accompanying them.

"We made sure that Stefan knows that he's only going to observe."

Zach said, "I am more concerned about Gio targeting him. I want to look over Ric's security plan again. Stefan makes for damn good leverage to use against you."

Damon frowned because that was true. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to get Stefan back if Giuseppe kidnapped him. "Where is Zio anyway? I expected him to join us. He is always bitching about maintaining our relationship with the Mikaelsons. He should be here making nice with Klaus so that I don't have to do it."

"He told me that he was spending the night with Abby. She's pissed at him so he's trying to make it right before we leave town," Zach replied.

He didn't envy his older brother's predicament. He had long believed that having a mistress was too much work. He was happy with Meredith. Occasionally, he hit up the strip clubs with his nephews but he was perfectly satisfied with just looking. However, he understood that Alaric's situation with Abby was about more than having a little something on the side. They had children together and that changed things.

Damon snorted. "He completely misunderstands the purpose of having a mistress! They're supposed to be fun and not complicated."

Zach lifted an eyebrow at his nephew. "Is that right? Then how exactly do explain what the hell is going on between you and Katherine?"

He flipped his uncle off as he finished off his glass of bourbon. He grumbled, "She's been unusually complicated lately. It is really unlike her. I still can't believe that she has been texting Bonnie behind my back. I don't know what the fuck she was thinking."

"Maybe she was thinking that she has been with you the longest?" Zach suggested flippantly.

"She knew the deal when I married Bonnie. I gave her an out and she didn't take it," he snapped.

Damon had been relieved when Katherine rejected the idea of breaking up simply because he was getting married. He knew that their relationship needed to be more discreet but he didn't feel the need to change anything else. Damon had upped Katherine's compensation in light of her loyalty. He had grown used to women abandoning him but she was different.

He chuckled. "You are acting as if people are completely rational beings when it comes to matters of the heart. You know that Katherine is in love with you. Besides, you are a hypocrite. You would be ready to kill someone if Katherine decided to start seeing another man in her free time."

Damon scowled but didn't try to argue the point. Katherine belonged to him and he didn't share. He knew it wasn't fair to her or Bonnie but that was just the way that things were. Damon was hardly the only man in his position that had a mistress. It was almost expected in their world.

"Well, she is pissed at me because I sent Enzo to warn her about harassing Bonnie. She has decided to stay at the villa in Tenerife until January."

Zach nodded. "I guess that's why we're leaving a day early so that you can see her. Trying to patch things up?"

He shrugged. The truth was that he missed Katherine. He didn't really want her to stay out of the country for so long. He might have gone overboard with having Enzo threaten her life. However, he didn't know how else to get her to back off Bonnie. His wife didn't deserve to be taunted and humiliated. He wouldn't stand for it, not even from Katherine.

"Something like that. I am going to try to convince her to come home early. If she stays gone until January I will have to find someone else to scratch my itch."

Zach rolled his eyes. "You have a wife. Why not try being faithful for a few weeks? It won't kill you, Damon."

"Sometimes I just want to blow off steam. I can't do that with her. Besides, things with Bonnie are complicated already. She is in love with me and I don't know what she's expecting. No matter what I do, she is going to end up being disappointed. You know that I'm not cut out to be anyone's husband."

"You didn't think that you were cut out to be anyone's father either. Nevertheless, you figured out how to do that without screwing up my niece. You can do this, too. You just need to make your wife a priority, Damon."

Damon groaned and said, "I'm not here to get life lessons from you. I'm here to get drunk off my ass and maybe get a blow job from one of these strippers."

"Aren't you lucky that I am always around to tell you when you are being a fucking idiot? You have a wife that loves you. You need to get your life together, Damon. You are my nephew and I love you. I don't want to see you lose the best thing that has ever happened to you. You can put up a front for everyone else but I know how much you love Bonnie. You are so afraid of showing her the real you that you are pushing her away."

The younger man growled and flagged down a topless dancer. He flashed a wad of cash at her. "Come here, sweetheart. I need you to give my uncle the time of his life. I think he might be literally turning into a pussy. Save him from himself."

The woman giggled in response and walked over to Zach. "Hi, Mr. Salvatore…"

Zach laughed at Damon and said, "Fuck you, asshole." However, he spread his legs to give the curvy blonde enough room to do her thing.

Damon tried not to think about his uncle's warning. If Bonnie stayed with him after what Giuseppe did, then she would never leave. Damon knew that he was a bastard. He could stand to treat Bonnie and Katherine better. He could make excuses about his shitty childhood filled with abuse and neglect. He could blame his fear of women abandoning him because of Mother of the Year award winner, Lilly Salvatore. His excuses were honest but did not make him any less culpable for his behavior. Damon reasoned that he could not focus on being a better person right now. He would worry about that after Giuseppe was dead and he was the head of the family. Then he would take Bonnie away for an extended vacation. It would be just what they needed to reconnect.

Klaus swaggered over with a bottle of champagne in his hand. He was in a sour mood after his conversation with Bonnie. He couldn't believe that she had accused him of raping her. He was certainly in no mood to socialize with Damon. However, Elijah had ordered him to go talk to the Salvatores.

"Are you enjoying yourselves, mates?"

Damon stiffened but flashed a grin. He had always hated the cocky bastard. However, a certain amount of civility was required when dealing with the younger brother of your greatest ally.

"You've outdone yourself with this party, Klaus. We are all glad to have you home again. You were always the fun Mikaelson brother," Damon joked.

The blond mobster adopted a languid pose on the leather couch. Klaus imagined shooting Damon in the head and freeing his petal from the hold he had on her. Damon's influence was the only way that he could explain Bonnie's earlier outburst.

"It is good to see you again, old friend. I hear life has been good for you while I have been away. You are married to the Bennett girl now, right?"

Damon didn't like Klaus's tone of voice but he chalked it up to bitterness. His life had stood still for years while everyone else moved on without him.

"Yeah, I am. Bonnie and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary early next year."

Klaus took a long gulp from the bottle of Dom Perignon. The idea of Damon touching Bonnie was driving him insane. He regretted his decision of not claiming her fully when he had the chance. It would have given him endless pleasure for Damon to know that another man had deflowered her. Instead, he was filled with rage thinking about Bonnie using the skills he taught her to please Damon.

"Whatever happened to that one bird you were so fond of? I think her name was Katherine. She was gorgeous and cultured. She is exactly what I need to get back on my feet socially," he inquired. Surprisingly, Klaus managed to keep a straight face.

Stefan had moved closer to the group when Klaus joined them. He was there to act as a buffer between his brother and Klaus. He knew how quickly an argument could spark between the two men. He said, "She's his comare."

"I am not familiar with that term," Klaus said innocently. He was lying of course.

Damon frowned at his younger brother for speaking so freely to Klaus. However, he knew that they were friends. Stefan had actually visited Klaus in prison several times. He said, "She is my mistress."

He laughed. "Truly? What has it been seven or eight years now? In some quarters, you would be considered common law married."

Zach nearly spit out his drink as he tried to stifle a laugh.

Damon shot his uncle a nasty glare. "I don't think that counts if you don't live in the same house."

Zach's eyebrows went up at that because he wondered what Damon thought the penthouse at the Rischard was. He had been financially supporting her for years. If Damon and Katherine were to end their relationship now she would certainly be entitled to palimony under state law.

Klaus feigned enlightenment and said, "Ah, I see. Well, congratulations on your good fortune. I suppose I will have to let Rebekah set me up with one of her dreadful friends. Elijah is insisting that I attend some charity auction at Hayley's gallery next week. He wishes to begin the rehabilitation of my reputation immediately. I am afraid that tonight is the last time I will be able to behave like a cad publicly."

Elijah had sat his brother down for a stern talk on the same day he was released from prison. He painstakingly explained what he expected from Klaus going forward. Niklaus' five-year sentence had come at great cost to his family. The seriousness of his crime had deserved a more severe penalty. However, his brother had burned several favors to ensure that Klaus wasn't brought up on charges that were more serious. Many had speculated that he should have been charged with attempted murder given the video evidence the prosecution had.

Damon winced in sympathy. He had been through a similar gauntlet after he married Bonnie. Giuseppe had insisted that he start behaving more discreet. It took some time to adjust but Damon ultimately realized that his father was right. However, he didn't care as much about how he looked as the CEO of Velocita. He didn't want to do anything that would embarrass Bonnie. He remembered how devastated his mother had been every time rumors of Giuseppe's infidelity reached her ears. It wasn't only his father's abuse that had driven Lilly insane.

He advised, "It just means that you will have to be more discreet. You can still have fun—believe me. It is all about choosing the right women. I keep Katherine around because I can be truly myself with her. She has never found anything I do around her or want from her to be offensive or off-putting. We are closer in age, too. I never thought that sort of thing mattered until I married someone ten years younger than I am. Katherine and I actually have things in common. Besides, her experience means she is a hellcat in the sack."

Klaus wished that Bonnie were there to hear Damon talk about why Katherine was better than she was. He found her defense of this idiot even more laughable.

Ric walked over to the group with a scowl on his face.

Stefan grinned at his uncle. "Zio! I didn't think you were going to make it. This is Candy. Candy, say hello to my uncle Ric."

The voluptous redhead smiled at him while she handed Stefan a new bottle of champagne. "Hi, Uncle Ric."

"Hi, darlin." He chuckled and snatched the bottle of champagne from his nephew's hand. "I'm glad to see that you are having fun, Stefan. But that's enough drinking for you."

Damon chuckled. "Goody the grumpy uncle has decided to join our night of debauchery. I thought you were supposed to be getting laid."

Ric sat down and took a gulp from the bottle of champagne. "She kicked me out before anything could happen."

Zach and Damon both laughed at the same time.

The younger man ribbed him. "You have a wife and a mistress and you can't get either of them to screw you. Are you even a Salvatore? I think we may need some sort of DNA test to prove it."

"Shut up. Abby kicked me out of my own damned house because of you! Your wife showed up on my doorstep in tears. I'm going to assume that you did something to her."

Damon's smile slipped from his face. "What are you talking about? I left Bonnie at home in bed hours ago. How long ago did she show up at your place?"

Klaus stayed silent and hoped that the Salvatore clan would forget that he was in their midst. Niklaus knew that he was likely responsible for Bonnie's desire to seek out her mother. He could only hope that she hadn't shared anything with Abby. Whereas the Salvatores could be reasoned with for the good of the alliance, Bonnie had proven that the Benedettos were a wildcard. His finger idly stroked the tiny cut Bonnie's switchblade left on his neck.

Ric looked at his watch. "She showed up maybe two hours ago. Bonnie didn't call first or anything. She just turned up on our doorstep in her pajamas. I don't know what happened because Abby wouldn't let me stay upstairs. She figured Bonnie wouldn't feel comfortable talking freely with me in the house. I don't know what you did but it must be big. I told Abby to call me once Bonnie left. I waited around for almost ninety minutes before I gave up. I probably won't hear from Abby until the morning."

Damon's eyebrows furrowed as he thought over the evening he spent with Bonnie. Finally, he said, "I haven't done anything to Bonnie. I am an asshole but usually it isn't unintentional. We were on good terms when I left the house. Do you think something could be wrong with the babies? I mean she was feeling sick all day…"

Klaus's jaw tightened when he heard Damon mention the word babies. He thought that Bonnie felt a little thick around the middle earlier but he had forgotten about it in his haste.

Ric started to look concerned. He asked, "How has she been sick? I mean is it something other than morning sickness?

Zach shoved some money at the stripper and patted her on the butt. "Thanks, honey. That'll be all."

The girl quickly cleared out.

Stefan unceremoniously dismissed the stripper he had been dancing with, too. He leaned against the railing and tried to focus on the conversation. However, his level of intoxication made that a serious challenge. "Bon told me earlier that she felt lightheaded."

Damon stood up and began to pace. "I don't know if it is more than morning sickness or not. She fell asleep for a bit at Elijah's house after throwing up. Lately she has been tired more often than not. I asked if everything was okay but Bonnie told me that all she needed was sleep. I guess that she could have been lying to me. Maybe she thought I would be mad if she told me the truth. I mean Dr. Huerta is concerned about Bonnie carrying twins. She is not gaining enough weight or something."

Zach frowned and added, "Meredith mentioned that Bonnie was significantly underweight during her last check up. The morning sickness probably hasn't helped her pack on the pounds the way Dr. Huerta would like."

"I'm going over there," the raven-haired mobster muttered.

Ric stood up to stop him. "Calm down, Damon. You don't know that Bonnie is sick. Meredith and Jo interacted with her during dinner and cocktail hour. If she were sick, they would have noticed. It's more likely that she was just upset and needed to talk to her mother."

He rolled his eyes. "Because she has such a great relationship with Abby?"

He didn't often pull rank with his nephews but he had his limits. He admonished Damon. "I get that you are worried but don't talk shit about Abby. She deserves respect as my girlfriend and your wife's mother."

Damon was practically grinding his teeth. He took a deep breath. "I am sorry. I am just worried about Bonnie. You know that she isn't the type of person to complain. There could be something wrong with her or our babies."

Ric ran a hand over his scruffy face. "Look, Tyler was waiting outside in the car when I left. Call him to see if he knows what is happening with Bonnie. If she is still at my house then you know that everything is fine. Abby would have insisted on Bonnie going to the hospital if she was sick."

Damon slowly sat down and nodded. "You are right. They would be at a hospital if it was serious."

Zach nodded. "It doesn't hurt to check. Do you have Tyler's number?"

Damon took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He called the number and waited for the kid to answer.

"Hey, Damon. Is everything okay?"

"Where is my wife?" he snapped. Tyler hadn't done anything wrong but he wasn't in the mood for niceties.

"Bonnie asked me to drive her over to Abby's house a few hours ago. We're still here," he explained.

"Why did she want to go over there? Ric said that Bonnie was crying when she made it to the house. Is she sick?"

"I don't know why she was upset. I asked but she wouldn't tell me anything. Bonnie just asked me to drive her to Abby's house. Matt is at the manor protecting Sarah right now. Bonnie didn't want to leave her unprotected."

Damon frowned. He wasn't sure that he believed the kid. However, Damon knew that some of his suspicion was because of Tyler and Bonnie's friendship. He didn't like that his wife had hidden the relationship from him. However, he hadn't figured out how to question Bonnie about it yet.

He snapped, "Take the phone to her."

"She's asleep, Damon. Do you really want me to wake her?" he sounded disapproving of the notion.

Damon ended the call and scowled.

"What did he say?" Zach asked.

"He said that she is sleeping but I can tell that the little fucker knows something. Why did you assign him to Bonnie's security detail?"

Ric said, "Mason is the one that put together the security team for Bonnie and Sarah. He figured that Bonnie would be more comfortable with people that she knew well. You wanted someone to protect her, Damon. You didn't say anything about them spying on her for you."

"I am not asking him to spy on Bonnie. I think it might be time to replace him. I don't like how friendly they are with each other," he complained.

Stefan winced because he could tell that his brother was close to throwing one of his epic tantrums. He wasn't about to let Damon take his bad mood out on Tyler. The two young men were still best friends. Tyler was actually godfather to Stefan and Caroline's youngest son.

Stefan said, "Don't do anything to make the situation worse, Damon. If Bonnie isn't sick then you probably did something to upset her. Maybe Katherine contacted her again."

"How do we know that Bonnie isn't sick? Tyler doesn't actually know what's wrong with her. Or at least he isn't telling me."

"Tyler would have taken Bonnie to the hospital if she were sick. We were all close as kids. She wouldn't be able to hide something like that from either of us."

He ground out, "How close?"

That question intrigued Klaus as well. He remembered the Lockwood runt vaguely. However, he was more familiar with the boy's uncles.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "It's never been like that. They are friends. Some men are capable of being friends with the opposite sex without fucking them. You should give it a try, Damon."

Damon said, "It didn't stop you from trying it and according to you Bonnie was like a little sister."

Ric gave Stefan an unimpressed look. "Really?"

He huffed. "It's not my fault! She was walking around in a white bikini and I had the libido of a teenager. Maybe I loved her like a distant cousin. You know the type of cousin you can fool around with guilt free. The point is that Tyler is not screwing your wife. Maybe you should have stayed home with her since she was sick instead of coming here. Then you wouldn't need someone else to tell you about your wife's condition."

Damon's jaw clenched. He stood up and asked, "The fuck did you just say to me?"

Stefan straightened up to his full height. He knew what was about to happen but he would rather Damon's fury was directed at him. "I said that you should be at home with your pregnant wife instead of trying to get some stripper to suck your cock. Here is another novel idea, instead of leaving early to see Katherine you could spend that time with your traumatized wife and daughter. Or did you forget what happened the last time you prioritized screwing Katherine over being there for your family."

Damon got in his younger brother's face. He practically growled, "No one asked for your opinion. Not everyone is willing to let their wife hold onto their balls for them. Shut the fuck up about my marriage because you know nothing about it."

"Are you being serious right now? Everyone in the manor knows how shitty you treat Bonnie. Caroline is always trying to cheer her up while she pretends that she isn't depressed. I spend more time with your wife than you do, Damon!"

Damon said, "Get the fuck out of here before you make me do something I will regret. I won't be taking advice on how to be a man from someone that is still afraid of his own father. The last time he went after you I was still the one right there saving your ass! Making sure that he didn't break fragile little Stefan's pretty fucking face."

Stefan tensed as his older brother's words cut him to the bone. "You are right. You have always been there to protect me from Giuseppe. But where the fuck were you when Bonnie needed you to protect her? I might be a coward but I have always protected my wife from that fucking psychopath. Let's ask your wife who is the better man between the two of us."

Damon punched Stefan in the face three times before the younger man even had the time to react.

Stefan swung out blindly and connected with Damon's chin. He targeted his older brother's kidneys with his next punches. Stefan didn't fight often but it didn't mean that he couldn't.

Klaus casually walked away from the fight. He had gathered more than enough information for the night.

Ric and Zach quickly separated their nephews before the situation got more out of hand.

Ric yelled, "Knock it off! You are adults!"

Zach held Stefan back while Ric restrained Damon.

Stefan yelled, "Like father, like son! You feel better now! Do you wanna hit me again? Better get it out of your system before you have to behave like a civilized human being with Bonnie."

Damon bellowed. "Get him out of here before I kill him!"

Ric sighed and said, "Zach."

"Yeah, I got him."

Stefan's nose was bleeding as Zach led him away. He called over his shoulder. "It's the things that are true that makes us the angriest. You're the fucking coward out of the two of us and you know it, Damon!"

Ric pointed at Damon. "Sit down."

"I am going to go see my wife."

"Not until you calm down because your wife is in my house with my kids. You aren't going over there with a head full of steam. Have a drink. Get a blow job and calm the fuck down." He muttered, "I'm getting too old for this shit."

Damon said, "I can calm down on my way over there. Something is going on with Bonnie. You know that she is not close with Abby. It has to be serious if she went to her."

"I am serious. You are not going to my house like that. My kids are asleep. You are not going to wake them up and scare them because you are out of control. You might be able to knock your little brother around but I dare you to try that shit with me. I'll knock you on your ass."

He looked down at his knuckles and groaned seeing Stefan's blood. He ran his other hand over his face as he sat down. "Damn him and his big mouth. He never did know when to shut up."

"I want to hear less talking and see more drinking. Chill out. Bonnie is fine. She is asleep at my house. You can talk about whatever is going on with her later. For all you know it could just be a case of pregnancy hormones. Abby threw a knife at me when she was pregnant with Savannah…all because I ate the last of the Nutella. I am not talking about a small knife either. She threw a freaking butcher knife at my head."

Damon chuckled as he picked up his glass. "Abby might be a special case."

Ric smirked. "Maybe but Bonnie is from the same bloodline so…"

He took a deep breath and downed his drink with one large gulp. Damon couldn't believe that he had lashed out at his brother that way. However, he wondered what made Stefan keep pushing his buttons. He had to know that Damon was close to the edge.

"That little bastard hit me," he muttered.

The older man laughed at him. "Your charm has its limits, nipote. Trust me…"

Damon stood up.

"Where are you going?" Ric asked.

"Calm down, Zio. I am about to take your advice. I am going to see if I can find Candy. I've had my eye on her all night."

Ric nodded. "Good luck…"

"Don't need luck," he replied cockily. "Do you want me to send one of the girls your way?"

He shook his head. "You'll be carting me to a hospital if I go home to Abby smelling like strippers."

Damon shook his head with a laugh and headed out of the VIP section.


	23. The Cycle of Abuse

Damon tried mightily to forget his fight with Stefan. However, the incident weighed heavily on his mind long after his brother left the club. Protecting Stefan had always been Damon's responsibility. For years, he had been putting himself in the path of all the terrible shit that threatened to taint his baby brother's soul. In the beginning, it wasn't even a conscious decision on his part. Stefan's pitiful cries had stirred something deep within Damon's soul and he acted. That fateful night had started out as so many others had in his childhood. Giuseppe had come home stinking drunk and spoiling for a fight. Damon awoke to the familiar sounds of his mother begging for mercy as Giuseppe beat her. He would have gone back to sleep if not for Stefan's tiny voice. His younger brother couldn't have been more than four years old at the time. Damon had raced out of his room to save Stefan from witnessing their father's brutality.

However, he could have never predicted what he saw after entering his parents' bedroom. Stefan was huddled with Lilly in a corner of the room. Giuseppe had ordered the little boy to move out of the way but he was too afraid to move. Moreover, Lilly was too grateful for the brief reprieve to push him out of harm's way. Damon had watched in horror as his father reared back to punch Stefan for his disobedience. Twelve-year-old Damon had rushed forward and wedged his lanky body in front of Stefan.

Giuseppe had pummeled his son until he grew tired. In the end, Damon walked away with an array of bruises and a dislocated shoulder. The next day, Giuseppe pretended as if nothing had happened the previous night. He called their personal physician to treat Damon's injuries discreetly. Then he lavished his family with gifts to apologize for his brutality. A few months later, Lilly disappeared in the night before having Giuseppe served with divorce papers.

Damon kept replaying his argument with Stefan in his mind. He couldn't understand why his brother kept provoking him. Stefan knew better than most how on edge Damon had been lately. His struggle to find Giuseppe was taking him to some dark places. However, his thoughts drifted to Stefan taunting him about having to behave like a civilized human being around Bonnie. His heart began to beat faster as he considered the motivation behind those words. Did Stefan truly think that Damon was so far gone that he would ever raise a hand to Bonnie in anger? Had he provoked Damon as a means of protecting Bonnie from him? The very notion made him feel sick to his stomach. He would never hit his wife or any other woman for that matter. Even if he did learn that Bonnie had been unfaithful, Damon would simply kill her paramour.

The blue-eyed mobster watched as two insanely beautiful women performed for his pleasure. However, Damon realized that the erotic scene was doing very little to arouse him. He really just wanted to see his wife. He wanted to know what situation had brought her to tears. More importantly, he wanted to know why it compelled Bonnie to seek out her mother instead of calling him. Earlier, he had told Bonnie that he would come home if she needed him. Perhaps this was her way of saying that she didn't need Damon. Just as she hadn't sought out his help after Giuseppe attacked her. Damon wondered what it said about their marriage that his wife didn't seek his comfort. He hadn't even known about these bouts of depression until Stefan blithely wielded them as a weapon against Damon. Was this depression a serious clinical diagnosis or simply a case of the blues? Was Bonnie's depression related to her being significantly underweight? Damon hadn't even realized that her weight loss was unhealthy until the doctor's visit in Shadow Hills.

Damon stood up and placed two stacks of hundred dollar bills on a table. He smiled at the women. "I hate to run but I have somewhere else to be."

Candy pouted and asked, "Do you have to go right now?"

"We're just getting started," the other woman added with a mischievous smile.

He said, "I'm afraid that I do. Good night, ladies."

Candy hopped up and ran over to Damon. She slipped a card into his hand. "Call me if you ever want to finish this…"

Damon glanced at the card and tucked it into his pants' pocket as he walked out of the champagne room. When Damon emerged, he wasn't surprised to find that Klaus' party was still in full-swing. Many loyal soldiers from both organizations had attended the private bash out of respect. Everyone knew that Klaus would soon be running his own crew. Elijah had reserved the largest and highest grossing territory for his little brother. However, Damon and Alaric were two of a handful of people that knew the entire story. Klaus would take on the role of Elijah's consigliere in a matter of months.

Vincent had been looking to reduce his role in the organization for a while because of his mother's poor health. However, he had been too loyal to leave Elijah shorthanded. Trust was a fragile thing in their business. Such an important position couldn't be bestowed onto just anyone. Klaus' release from prison had come at a particularly fortuitous time. Elijah had always wanted his younger brother to be his second in command.

Many people would question the wisdom of letting someone with Klaus' reputation act as an advisor. However, the move made perfect sense to Damon. Elijah was the levelheaded leader but he needed a consigliere that understood the value of getting bloody. Damon would have a similar dynamic with Zacharias once they killed Giuseppe. No one would question Damon's bona fides when it came to striking fear into the hearts of their enemies. He was an accomplished killer and wasn't known for showing mercy to those that crossed him. Meanwhile, Zacharias' milder temperament made him a valued advisor and strategist. Both personalities would be necessary in the coming months. Surely, their enemies would think them weak after the death of Giuseppe.

Damon walked up the stairs to the VIP section where he had left Alaric over an hour ago. He was glad that he took his uncle's advice. The last thing Damon wanted to do was upset Bonnie more. She had been through enough trauma because him and his family. Damon felt clear headed and more in control than he did earlier. He would be able to react rationally to whatever was happening.

The younger man's lips curled into a smirk when he saw that his uncle was falling asleep on the leather couch. He asked, "Are you ready to get out of here, old man? It has to be your bedtime."

Ric cracked open one eye to look at Damon. He was glad to see that his nephew looked relaxed now. He stood up and stretched his stiff muscles with audible pops and clicks. "It was past my bedtime when I got here."

Damon chuckled. "You sound like you're about to fall apart, Zio."

"Laugh all you want. If you are lucky, you will get to be my age. Trust me when I say that all of this shit is genetic. My old man had a bum ticker and arthritis, too," he commented.

Damon could see the irony in how everything played out between his father and grandfather. Domenico probably would have dropped dead from a massive heart attack if Giuseppe had been a little more patient. The same was probably true of his father. Giuseppe had suffered what the doctors called a cardiac event just a few months ago. However, Damon couldn't wait for the maniac to die of natural causes. The man was either becoming more unhinged in his old age or he had attacked Bonnie to provoke his son. Ultimately, Giuseppe's reasoning didn't matter. He would be dead before the New Year even if Damon had to rip Milazzo apart brick by brick to find him.

He smirked and said, "The difference is that I take care of myself. I work out. I eat healthy. I might end up with cirrhosis but getting a black market liver shouldn't be too difficult."

Ric chuckled and shook his head. "Let's get out of here, kid. A warm bed is calling my name. Did you drive yourself?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I rode over here with Zio and Stefan. I figured I wouldn't be in any condition to drive when I left."

Ric nodded in understanding. He was glad that Damon was well past the stage of driving drunk. Fortunately, nearly dying in his early twenties had served as enough of a warning. He said, "Well, I guess it's a good thing that I brought my car."

Damon followed Alaric out of the club while checking his phone for messages and missed calls. He didn't know why he had hoped to see something from Bonnie.

Ric unlocked the car and climbed inside. He was tempted to call Abby. However, he knew that she would just tell him to stay away. He figured that it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission in this situation. Damon needed to sort out his issues with Bonnie before they left for Milazzo.

He frowned as he climbed into the nondescript SUV. "Would it kill you to drive one of our cars? This is embarrassing."

Ric started the car and rolled his eyes. "I am a father of five, Damon. In what world would I drive a sports car that their booster seats wouldn't fit into?"

"I am a father, too. You could at least get one of our sports coupes, Zio."

Ric chuckled. "Coop puked all over the backseat a few weeks ago after eating six churros. I think I will wait to get something nice until my younger children are much older."

Damon peered over the headrest in horror.

Ric laughed harder at his reaction. "Don't worry, Damon. I had the car professionally detailed while Abby chewed me out for letting him eat so many churros at one time."

He snorted. "You are really trying to do this two family thing, huh? I can barely take care of the one that I have. I thought I was doing okay and then…"

"Is that why you decided to use your younger brother as a punching bag?" Ric asked with a raised eyebrow.

He could count on one hand the number of fistfights his nephews had gotten into over the years. They were always fueled by insane amounts of alcohol but something had been different tonight. Ric wasn't concerned that the boys had used their fists to settle the beef—they were men after all. However, the venomous insults they had hurled at one another worried him. Damon and Stefan had both been aiming for maximum damage as they traded honest insults. Ric was concerned that their fight underscored some underlying discord between the brothers. He would have to consult with Zach first thing in the morning. His younger brother would have certainly grilled Stefan on his behavior.

"No. We got into a fight because Stefan is an asshole when he's drunk," he complained.

However, both men knew that was untrue. Stefan was just as fun loving and peaceable when he was drunk as he was sober. In the past, Damon had always instigated the fights because of his notorious temper. Something about tonight had been different. Stefan kept needling his older brother despite the obvious signs that he was at the boiling point. In fact, Damon had even warned Stefan to back off but the younger man had barreled past the warning without care.

"Well, you are an asshole 365 days of the year. I think that we can allow Stefan one night. It is also okay for you to admit that he struck a chord, Damon. I know that what Gio did to Bonnie has been weighing on you. I think it has taken a toll on all of us. We all feel as if let her down because we did. Somehow she slipped through the cracks…it should have never happened."

Damon frowned. "I guess that Stefan did get under my skin with some of the shit that he was saying. I didn't realize that Bonnie was depressed. I mean she always seems fine when I am around but maybe she is just pretending. I'm beginning to think she does that a lot around me."

"What are you talking about?" Ric asked.

"I don't know. I keep seeing flashes of this person that I don't recognize. Bonnie has been making me feel off balance lately. She has known about Katherine since before we were married. However, she never said a word about it until after Giuseppe attacked her. Then she casually mentions that I was at the penthouse at the time. I had Enzo grill Katherine. She swears that she never mentioned the penthouse at the Rischard to Bonnie."

Ric frowned as he considered everything. There was a chance that Katherine was lying. After all, she had been contacting Bonnie behind Damon's back for years. However, revealing the location of the penthouse seemed like overplaying her hand. Having the wife turn up at your love nest was bad news for everyone.

Damon continued, "I keep wondering how Bonnie came to know about the penthouse. Did she hire a private investigator to gather evidence for a divorce? Has someone in our organization been talking out of school?"

"I don't think that Bonnie is looking to divorce you, Damon. Gio attacking her is ample ammunition. Sheila made sure that prenuptial agreement was iron clad. It's almost like she was expecting this to happen. Although, I guess it wasn't much of a stretch considering Sheila had firsthand experience with the kinds of violent acts that Giuseppe is capable of committing against women."

"That's another thing that bothers me. Bonnie never mentioned the recordings that Sheila left her until it was beneficial for her. She hasn't offered to tell me about the other information she has in her possession. Apparently, the recording was just the opening salvo. What else is my sweet wife hiding from me? For the first time since we've been married...I feel like I don't know Bonnie."

Ric lifted an eyebrow when Damon mentioned that Bonnie had more information on Giuseppe. However, it occurred to him that Sheila might have gathered dirt on all of them. While he didn't think that Bonnie was a threat to them, he also couldn't just dismiss his nephew's concerns. Abby was proof that Benedetto women were complicated creatures. The love of his life forced him to eat healthy foods so that he didn't drop dead from a heart attack. However, there was no doubt in Ric's mind that she would kill him the moment he raised a hand to her the way that Rudy had. Abby was dangerous in a way that most people would never see. She was the type of danger that even he didn't see coming until he woke up with the barrel of a .45 wedged against forehead. Ric could concede that the same might be true of Bonnie.

He said, "I think that those are all valid concerns, Damon. However, there is a simple solution to your problems. You need to sit down and have an honest conversation with your wife. Women are perceptive creatures. Abby thinks that Jo knows about us. I have been bending over backwards for years to make sure that never happened...and yet here we are. Who knows how Jo figured it all out?"

"I can't interrogate Bonnie until after I have taken care of Giuseppe. I owe her that much. She is my wife and my responsibility. I left her in the warpath of a psycho and she paid the price for it. Once that debt is settled, I can talk to her about my concerns. I just want to find a delicate way to do it. I don't want to upset her. I do enough of that already."

"You will figure it out when the time comes. Just focus on the fact that she's still with you. In the meantime, you need to get your head out of your ass. We are going to Milazzo to prove to our people that you are ready to take over for Giuseppe. Your best quality is that you are not a mercurial bastard. They have already served someone like that for 30 years. They might as well stick with Gio if you are going to behave the same way. It is better to serve the devil you know after all."

Damon groaned and scrubbed at his face in annoyance. He could feel the stubble growing on his jaw. "I'll have my head on straight before we touchdown in Milazzo, Zio. I know what is at stake for all of us."

"Good. I also talked to Big John earlier. We are going to have dinner with him on our second night in town. He knows that something is up. It would be better if he finds out about the approaching change of leadership from you."

He nodded in agreement. "We're still not telling him about Giuseppe attacking Bonnie, right?"

"No. That stays within the family until we take care of Gio. We need his death to be a mea culpa to the Benedettos. Hopefully, they won't insist on some other type of compensation," he replied.

"And you are sure that Abby won't say anything to Big John?"

Alaric said, "Abby gave me her word. But it's only good for a limited time. She will take matters into her own hands if we don't find Gio soon."

"Can't you put a muzzle on her?" he muttered.

"Have you met Abby? No, I can't put a muzzle on her, Damon. Your father beat her daughter black and blue. She showed a surprising amount of restraint by not getting Big John involved from the beginning. She already blames me for what happened and for not telling her. We argued about it again before she kicked me out tonight."

Damon immediately felt guilty because he had been the one that asked Ric to keep quiet. He was only trying to contain the fallout. He hadn't expected to cause strife between Ric and Abby. He said, "I didn't know that the two of you fought because of that. I'm…"

"It was the right decision for the family," Ric interjected.

"The family always comes first," Damon murmured. It was a lesson that Giuseppe had beaten into him as a child.

Ric pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. He said, "I meant what I said about keeping your cool in there. I won't have you waking up my kids."

"I hear you. I am not going to be an asshole. I just want to make sure that Bonnie is feeling okay," he replied.

Tyler was sitting outside smoking a cigarette. He stood up when the men approached the house. He had received a call from Stefan an hour ago. His best friend had warned him about Damon's volatile mood. "Good party?" he asked.

Damon eyed him but nodded. "Yeah. Bonnie and I will be leaving soon."

Tyler nodded and put out his cigarette. "I'll get the car."

Ric unlocked the front door and walked into the quiet house. Only Nina Simone's soft crooning could be heard filtering out of the living room. That was where they found Bonnie sleeping with her head on Abby's lap.

The older woman was carding her fingers through the sleeping girl's hair and humming along to the song. She frowned, "What are you doing here, Alaric? I said that I would call you after Bonnie left."

His jaw clenched as he said, "I do live here, Abigail. Besides, Damon was worried about Bonnie."

Damon walked into the room. "Is she okay?"

Abby wanted to slap Damon's face but she calmed herself. She said, "Bonnie is fine."

"Then why did she come here tonight?" he asked.

She saw the genuine concern but it did little to tame the fury roiling in her gut. She was angry with so many people that had hurt her precious little girl. Unfortunately, Abby was at the top of her own list.

She took a deep breath and smoothly relayed the lie she and Bonnie had agreed on earlier. "Bonnie is just having a hard time with the pregnancy. The morning sickness seems to be getting worse. Her insomnia certainly isn't helping matters either. She keeps dreaming about Giuseppe popping up like some killer from a slasher flick. But I think most of all she is just missing the comfort of my mama. She always made Bonnie feel safe and secure. I'm doing my best to cure some of the loneliness she's been feeling out here in California. But I'm no substitute for her grams."

Damon nodded in understanding. He had asked Bonnie about her insomnia but she had told him she was only restless.

"I am going to see if Aunt Geneva will come for a visit after Christmas. My aunt is where I go when I am missing Mama. They are so much alike sometimes. They even sound similar over the phone. It's not a replacement of course but God does it help during the harder moments."

It was second time that week that Damon had been reminded how little contact Bonnie had with her own family. He knew most of that was down to his father's machinations. However, Damon hadn't done anything to stop Giuseppe from isolating Bonnie from the people that loved her. He supposed that estrangement could be another reason that his wife was so often depressed if he could believe Stefan's assertion. He asked, "How long has she been asleep?"

Abby said, "Bonnie has slept off and on since she's been here."

"Other than that is she okay?" he asked.

"She was a bit sick to her stomach but I think the ginger tea helped her. Morning sickness hasn't been very kind to my poor baby," she murmured affectionately.

He sat on the coffee table so that he could be close to his wife without disturbing her rest. "You must hate me. I know you were never in favor of this marriage."

"I could never hate you, Damon. However, I did think that you were too old to marry my daughter. You're not the man that I would have picked for her," she confessed.

He nodded in understanding. He wouldn't have picked himself for Bonnie either. Damon wasn't blind to his own flaws. However, he hadn't been able to stomach the thought of Bonnie marrying some distant relative from Milazzo.

She continued, "But Bonnie loves you and that is all that matters to me. She has always loved you."

Damon smiled tiredly but his eyes never left his wife's face. "That's a lot to live up to. She fell in love with her crush—not the real me. I keep getting this feeling that I will fall short no matter what I do."

Abby huffed out a laugh. "If you think my daughter doesn't know exactly who she married then you have severely underestimated her. Youth and naiveté are not always synonymous, Damon."

Something about Abby's words tickled the back of his consciousness. However, he was too tired and too drunk to examine it now. He said, "I should take her home. It is late and Sarah will be looking for her in the morning."

Damon was too prideful to admit that he slept better when Bonnie was curled up against him. Everything from her soft curves to the familiarity of her scent was like home to him.

She turned her nose up at that idea. "You aren't driving my daughter home. You are drunk."

He frowned in response. "I don't even have my car with me, Abby. I wasn't planning on driving drunk. I figured Tyler could drive us home."

Abby wasn't in love with that idea either. She had this urge to take her family, including Bonnie and Sarah, and run away from the Salvatores for good. They were poison. However, Bonnie wasn't a little girl anymore. Abby knew her daughter was planning something. The only thing she could do was support her and make sure that she wasn't getting in over her head. Abby's connections to the Old Country ran deep. She had spent a lot of time in Milazzo after she left Rudy. She knew that side of her family well. If Damon wouldn't pull the trigger on Giuseppe, she knew people on the other side of the ocean that would gladly do it.

Damon stood up and gently lifted Bonnie into his arms. "I'll get her home safely, Abby. I promise."

The older woman nodded slowly and picked up Bonnie's purse. "I'll walk you out."

Ric and Abby followed Damon out to the car.

Tyler hopped out to open the back door as soon as he saw Damon emerge with Bonnie in his arms.

Abby handed him Bonnie's purse and gave the young man a loaded look.

His dark eyes acknowledged her warning as he waited for Damon to get Bonnie settled in the car.

"Tell Bonnie to call me in the morning," Abby said.

"I will," Damon replied.

Ric put his arm around Abby's waist and walked back into the house with her.

Abby slipped out of his embrace and returned to the living room.

Ric locked the door and then waited until Tyler drove away from their house. Afterwards he walked into the living room and watched Abby for a moment. He asked, "What's really going on, Abigail?"

"Are you calling me a liar, Alaric?" she asked. Abby was collecting the teacups from the coffee table.

"I saw the way you were looking at Damon. You were never in love with the idea of their marriage but this is different. Something has changed. What's going on?"

She smiled. "I love you, Alaric, but you must know that we are on opposing sides here."

He followed her into the kitchen. "There is only one side now, Abby. We are part of the same family."

"That is where you are wrong. Bonnie is my daughter. I know that I have not been the best mother but I have always wanted her to be happy and safe. Right now she is neither and it is because of your family."

"Damon…"

She snapped, "Damon is still the selfish manchild that he has always been. You know that I love your nephew. I watched him grow up. He might as well have been my little brother. If it were someone else's daughter that he was jerking around I wouldn't even bat an eyelash. But it's my little girl that he's hurting and I can't even say anything because she loves him."

Ric walked up behind Abby and rested his hands on her hips. "Damon loves her, Abby."

"It's not enough and you know that. Imagine Josie or Lizzie in the same position. You wouldn't be quite so understanding about any of this."

He tensed because she was right. The same went for his behavior with Jo and Abby. "They are adults, baby. They are going to have to figure it out on their own. Marriages have their ups and downs but you can't protect her from that."

Abby sighed. "I know but it doesn't mean that I can't wish for a better life for Bonnie. It doesn't mean that every day I don't wish that I had done more to protect her from all of this."

"Protect Bonnie from whom? Giuseppe or Damon?" he asked.

"I want to protect her from all of you, Alaric. You know that I love you but your family is a curse to mine. The worst thing we ever did was get into business with the Salvatores. Do you know the things Giuseppe did to my mother? He broke her and growing up around that broke me, too."

Alaric studied her expression. "No, I don't know because it's not something you have ever shared with me. Is it something that you wanted to talk about now?"

Abby shook her head. "You can guess what your brother did to my mother. You know the type of man he is—the type of man he has always been. I let Rudy abuse me for years because I thought it was…."

"Normal?" he asked. Alaric had to overcome similar beliefs once he was an adult.

"I didn't think that it was normal but I also didn't think that Rudy was abusing me. I thought as long as I fought back that I wasn't a battered woman. My mother always fought back against Giuseppe. It took three years of being married to Rudy to realize that fighting back to survive didn't make me any less of a battered woman. There was still a man twice my size beating the shit out of me. My daughter grew up seeing the same things that I did because I neglected my responsibilities when I left her with Mama. Now I am terrified that she learned the same lessons that I did as child. Maybe she learned that men can do anything to hurt us and we just have to be strong enough to weather it. I don't want that for Bonnie," she replied softly.

Alaric winced involuntarily. "Is that what you think Bonnie is doing with Damon? He would never hurt her."

Abby sighed and said, "You are being willfully obtuse. I am tired and I just want to go to bed. The kids will be up in a few hours."

Ric watched as she walked out of the kitchen. "Abby…"

She looked over her shoulder. "Like I said, we're on opposing sides of this, Ric. You want the best for your nephew. And I want the best for my daughter. I suppose one of us will get our wish. I just pray to God that it's me."

Ric stood there as he watched Abby walk away from him. He realized that his relationship wasn't the only one that was in trouble.


	24. The Seal of Confession

Elijah drummed his fingers against his desk as he studied a proposal that Freya had left with him last night. While his older sister had an Ivy League education, she had never shown an interest in any of the family's legitimate business ventures. Instead, Freya served on the boards of several charitable foundations. Now she was in the planning stage of forming a non-profit organization. She wanted to provide housing and job training for teenagers that aged out of the state's foster care system. Freya would need a lot of startup capital in order to get the project off the ground. She already had several donors lined up. However, she was angling for a splashy donation from her younger brother.

He really shouldn't have been surprised that she would attempt such an ambitious endeavor. Kol often teased their sister about turning into the old woman who lived in a shoe. She had never married. Nor did she have any biological children. However, Freya had adopted five children and had acted as a foster mother for a dozen more over the years. People often spread rumors claiming that she was either infertile or a lesbian. Those people were wrong on both accounts. Freya chose not to have any biological children because she refused to pass on her family's tainted genes. Unfortunately, his sister failed to consider just how large a role the environment played in shaping young minds. Despite Freya's best efforts, her eldest son, Andrew, was gravitating toward the Mikaelson organization. Elijah was bringing his nephew along slowly to give him time to change his mind. However, he saw the determination that burned deep in the boy's soul. He would one day become the thing Freya had tried so hard to avoid.

There was limitless irony in the fact that the two eldest children of a ruthless mobster had dedicated their lives to the service of others. Freya lived off her trust fund while she worked for charitable organizations. In addition, she often embarked on mission trips to some of the most impoverished corners of the world. Similarly, Finn had rejected his birthright as the eldest son. After high school, he attended seminary college and later became a Roman Catholic priest. Elijah was certain that the paths taken by Freya and Finn had everything to do with the mob war 30 years ago. No one had walked away from that two-year period of bloodshed completely unscathed.

During the war, bitter rivals attacked the Salvatores and Mikaelsons on all sides. The rival organizations were trying to break the stranglehold the two families had on California, Arizona, and Oregon at the time. The Salvatores and Mikaelsons were already allies but the mob war transformed their relationship into something more permanent. Giuseppe and Mikael had ruthlessly defended their territory for months before the first cracks begin to appear. First, they started losing ground in the distant reaches of their territories. Then they found traitors amongst their ranks. These were men that had been unhappy and saw their golden opportunity to stage a coup. Mikael and Giuseppe beat back those attacks successfully.

However, a failed hit on Mikael changed everything for both men. The assassins tried to kill the mob boss while his family was out to dinner. They were celebrating Freya's eighteenth birthday. The teenager nearly bled out after a stray bullet struck her neck. Freya certainly would have died that day if not for the quick thinking of Mikael's second in command, Ansel. Instead of waiting for an ambulance, he loaded Freya into a car and rushed her to a hospital that was only a few blocks away. The bullet left behind a nasty scar. However, Freya would forever be haunted by the blood her father shed to avenge the attack on his family.

After the failed hit, Giuseppe and Mikael decided to send their families to the compound in Milazzo for safety. The two families remained in hiding for nearly 18 months while Mikael and Giuseppe laid waste to everyone that challenged them. During that time, Elijah and Alaric became best friends. They were very close in age and had a thirst for mischief. They were the "men" of the house while Giuseppe, Mikael, and Finn were stateside. However, they also shared a unique bond because of the birth orders in their respective families. Elijah and Alaric were the second born sons. Both boys understood that they were spares just in case something happened to the rightful successor in their families.

At the time, Elijah never could have imagined that his older brother would reject the keys to the kingdom. However, Finn was noticeably different after they won the war. He often lamented that the cost had been too high. He withdrew from his family by spending the majority of his time studying religious literature. Finn started attending church several times a week. He also spent hours talking about theology with Father Kieran whenever he had free time. In the beginning, Mikael and Esther had hoped the changes in their son were little more than a phase. As months turned into a year, it became apparent that Finn no longer wanted to succeed his father as boss. However, the final nail in the coffin was when he announced his plans to attend seminary college.

Mikael had reluctantly turned to his second born son to one-day lead their family. Fortunately, Mikael had raised Elijah as the backup option. He was well versed in how his father had maintained his iron grip on their territory for so many years. However, their territory had more than doubled in size after the war. Giuseppe and Mikael had confiscated and then equitably divided the territories of their fallen enemies. Despite being the only viable heir, Elijah had done unspeakable things to prove himself worthy of succeeding his father. One of those things had been marrying the girl that his younger brother was madly in love with at the time. Elijah knew that there were other ways to settle the dispute with the Labonir family. However, Mikael had wanted to crush Niklaus and Elijah had willingly done his bidding.

After Elijah married Hayley, he permitted her affair with Niklaus to continue. It wasn't as if he was in love with the young woman. Moreover, the move helped alleviate some of his guilt. Unfortunately, the young lovers were careless and Hayley became pregnant. There was the slimmest of chances that Elijah was the father. A DNA test via amniocentesis proved that he was not. However, he and Mikael decided that it was best to lie to Niklaus. Afterwards, he sat Hayley and Niklaus down and explained why the relationship had to end. The family couldn't weather the scandal that would come if there was ever confirmation of the affair. Elijah had then purchased a beach house in Malibu for Niklaus to soften the blow. However, the younger man understood that his brother was subtly telling him to move out of their family home.

It took some time but Niklaus eventually forgave Elijah. He understood that the relationship with Hayley had been courting trouble that they did not need. In hindsight, Elijah knew that he should have been honest with his younger brother about Hope's paternity from the beginning. Despite rumors to the contrary, Niklaus could be reasonable. However, Elijah had listened to his father's dubious advice. The same father that exposed his lies to Niklaus in the heat of an argument a few years later. Niklaus had never felt as betrayed as he did when he learned that Hope was his daughter. Elijah had watched helplessly as the information sent his brother spiraling out of control. Niklaus' five-month descent into madness culminated with him nearly beating a rival to death. The incident just happened to have been captured on camera. Elijah took some ownership over the incident. Therefore, he had burned several favors and threatened a district attorney's family to ensure his brother would receive a relatively light sentence.

When Niklaus first went to prison, he refused to speak with Elijah, Esther, and Hayley. He hated them all for lying to him and for keeping Hope away from him. Fortunately, Rebekah knew the way to her brother's heart and encouraged Elijah to send Niklaus pictures of Hope. The olive branch had worked exactly as planned. The two brothers began building a fragile bridge of trust that had greatly improved over the last five years. Now Elijah and Niklaus were as close as they had been as children. He was the only person that Elijah would trust to be his second in command once Vincent stepped down. He was certain that Mikael was turning in his grave. He had never wanted his bastard stepson to be more than an assassin for the organization.

Niklaus walked into his brother's office after knocking on the door. He hadn't stepped foot in this office since he was a young man. It didn't seem quite as imposing now that it no longer belonged to Mikael. He cleared his throat and asked, "Might I have a word with you, Elijah?"

The older man looked up and lifted an eyebrow. He had assumed that his brother would be preparing for another night of debauchery. He knew that Niklaus wasn't looking forward to the image makeover he was about to undergo. Elijah couldn't exactly blame him for being reluctant. He had just spent five years having his every move controlled in prison. Unfortunately, maintaining the persona of a law-abiding citizen was imperative for the continued success of their legitimate business ventures. Elijah routinely socialized with high-ranking political figures in America and the United Kingdom. Those connections were only possible because of the façade that he had carefully constructed.

"Come in. Did you enjoy yourself last night? I found Kol passed out in the foyer this morning. Hope had helpfully painted his fingernails and was about to start on his toe nails by that point," he explained with a smirk.

He pushed the door closed and then walked over to Elijah's desk. He smiled at the mention of his daughter. Niklaus had soaked up every available minute of her time since his release from prison. He hated being merely 'Uncle Nik' to her. However, it was better than being barred from her life the way that Mikael originally wanted. One day, Hope would be old enough to learn the truth. He only hoped that she wouldn't hate him as much as he hated his own biological father.

He replied, "I can't say that I enjoyed myself as much as I had hoped that I would. Something unexpected happened to me last night. I was hoping that I might be able to pick your brain about it."

Elijah motioned to the chair across from his desk and closed Freya's proposal. It didn't need any further consideration. His sister had done her due diligence as always. Elijah would definitely make a sizable donation to her fledgling non-profit organization. It was a worthy cause and it would be good publicity for the family.

He was curious about Niklaus' peculiar mood. His younger brother had always been infuriatingly stubborn. He rarely sought counsel from anyone. "What seems to be the matter, Niklaus?" he asked.

Klaus sat in the chair and struggled to organize his thoughts. He had been stewing over this all day. He had thought of calling Bonnie several times but couldn't bring himself to do it. The pain he had heard in her voice last night haunted him. He said, "A young woman that I care for very deeply accused me of raping her."

Elijah had come to expect just about anything from his siblings. Yet somehow, Klaus had managed to catch him off guard. His brother was a talented assassin but he had never known him to be a sexual predator. He struggled to maintain his composure. However, he wanted to give Niklaus a good smack to the back of the head.

"Niklaus, tell me that you did not force yourself on a woman less than a week after being released from prison. I understand that a man has certain needs but surely you could have paid a young woman for her services. Kol frequently uses an escort service in which he has invested his money. Perhaps one of your employees would have been willing to accommodate you."

He held up a hand to silence the righteous indignation that was surely brewing. Klaus needed to get his thoughts out before Elijah muddied everything with one of his long winded lectures.

Elijah frowned but acquiesced to his brother's silent request. He sat back in his chair and waited patiently for Niklaus to explain the situation.

"This girl is accusing me of having raped her before I went to prison. She is very special to me. I…I never viewed our relationship in that light. However, she sounded so certain on the phone last night. She seemed so heartbroken about the ways that I had hurt her. It gave me pause. I started to wonder if perhaps I had violated her in some egregious way."

Elijah's eyebrows furrowed in concern. He could tell that the situation was truly distressing to Niklaus. The older man stood from his desk and walked around to sit beside his brother. "What have you done, Niklaus? Tell me and we will fix it together."

He gave humorless laugh. "I do not believe that this is something that even you can fix, Elijah. I care for this woman. I had hoped that we might renew the romance we once shared. Now I have learned that the romance between us never existed at all. I find myself flummoxed and disgusted. I was intimate with this woman several times during the summer before I went to prison. I was never violent with her. Perhaps there were some instances where I was a little rough but she never complained or asked me to stop. Because I would have stopped…."

Elijah struggled to remember that summer. However, it had been such a tumultuous time for his family. Their father had died when he overshot the curve in a winding road. Mikael was killed instantly when the car plummeted twenty feet into a ravine. The police had determined that his blood alcohol level had been twice the legal limit at the time of the crash.

"Who is this woman? I don't remember you being involved with anyone, Niklaus."

Niklaus was tempted to point out that Elijah had exiled him to the beach house in Malibu for two years at the time. However, he had agreed to leave the past where it belonged when Elijah offered him the opportunity to be his second in command.

"Well, that is because I kept it a secret. She was much younger than I was and it was an ill-advised relationship because of her pedigree. Her family wasn't likely to approve of our courtship even if she had been of age at the time."

Elijah felt his blood run cold as he considered the possibilities. Was this girl the daughter of an associate? Or worse could she be the daughter of a rival? "How old was the girl, Niklaus?"

He sighed. "She was 16 years old at the time."

Elijah slapped the back of Klaus's head. "Bloody hell, Niklaus. What were you thinking?"

The younger man scowled at his brother. "I was thinking that I had everything that mattered taken away from me! I lost the woman that I loved, my daughter, and my family-save for Rebekah. She was the only one that took my side when you and Father cast me out. This girl stumbled into my life when I was at my lowest."

Elijah's guilt reared its ugly head. He could have and should have done more to stop Niklaus from spiraling out of control. He shared in the guilt for the violence his brother had doled out to the unlucky souls that had crossed his path that summer. Was he supposed to share a portion of the guilt for this crime, too?

"She was a minor. Any relationship you had with her was statutory rape because she wasn't legally old enough to consent. By the letter of the law, you raped her, Niklaus. You are lucky that this girl didn't come forward or you might have been in prison for a very long time. Who is she?"

The legal ramifications of their age difference had never occurred to him. To his horror, Rebekah had been quite sexually active when she was Bonnie's age. Bonnie had been sixteen years old. It wasn't as if he had wandered into a playground with a packet of sweets hanging from his pocket.

"I will not violate her privacy that way. I have violated her too much already. I can only say that I have been acquainted with the young woman and her family for many years. However, because of our age difference we were not friends. She attended my birthday party that summer and things changed between us. I thought that I had found a kindred spirit in her. The people that by all rights should have loved us discarded us both. She was so smart and well read for her age. We shared a love of prose and poetry. She was positively angelic and compassionate. That night it felt as if the universe had given her to me as a gift."

Elijah tensed because he saw the brokenness that lived inside his brother. Niklaus was a teenager when he learned that Mikael wasn't his biological father. However, Mikael had never been subtle in the way he treated the boy. He punished Niklaus more harshly than he did the other children. Mikael would berate his stepson for even the smallest infraction. However, his treatment grew more vicious when he no longer had to pretend that Niklaus was his son. They had all just stood by and watched it.

"What did you do to this girl?" Elijah asked. He needed to know the damage so he wouldn't be blindsided if it came out later.

"Do I really need to spell it out for you, Elijah? I know that you've been married for a long time now but…"

"No, you don't get to make a joke of this, Niklaus. You carried on a sexual relationship with a girl too young to consent. I am trying to figure out if I should be throttling you because I certainly feel like it. I have tolerated your eccentricities and your tendency towards violence. They are useful skills but I will not shelter a sexual predator under my roof. Speak plainly, brother mine," he hissed.

Klaus swallowed thickly and lowered his gaze. He wasn't used to Elijah getting this furious. It only served to highlight the severity of this situation.

"We fooled around, Elijah. It was mostly oral sex and I fingered her a few times. It never went any further than that. I didn't think that she was ready for more than that. And I promise brother, she never once objected. I assumed that she enjoyed what we were doing."

He sighed, "I know that Father didn't do a very good job of teaching us to respect women but I didn't realize that I had failed you, too. It matters not if this girl didn't object. Consent only comes in the form of a vigorous yes. She might not have felt comfortable saying no to you, Niklaus. You were much older than she was and you have a reputation for being volatile. She might have feared your reaction."

It felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. He sat there and stared at a spot on the wall as he replayed their moments together. The one that stuck out the most was the night of Mikael's funeral. Klaus had been distraught and furious all at once. He hated Mikael and yet he was the only father he had ever known. Klaus had waited patiently to get Bonnie alone. He just wanted to fuck away all the pain he was feeling. His memory of the night was hazy because he had swallowed a handful of Ativan that he washed down with vodka. However, he vaguely remembered Bonnie crying as he forced her to kneel in front of him. When he sobered up the following day, Klaus knew that he had gone too far. He had gone out of his way to apologize to her with original poems that featured hand drawn illustrations. She had forgiven him…or at least Klaus thought that she had at the time.

He shook his head, "It was never my intention to hurt her…"

"And yet here we are. You need to take responsibility for this, Klaus. Make your apologies and then stay away from this woman. Whatever you hoped would happen between the two of you is obviously off the table now."

He nodded in agreement. As much as Klaus wanted Bonnie, pursuing her would invite trouble he didn't need. Something about her was different now. He would even classify that change as being dangerous. That sort of danger would scare away most men but it only turned him on more. However, he understood what was at stake if Bonnie made good on her threat. He wasn't so selfish as to endanger his family's safety for a woman that despised him now.

Elijah stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Know this, if I learn that you have violated another girl I will not hesitate to put a bullet in your head myself. Now get out of my office."

Klaus slowly rose from the chair and walked out of the room. He had no doubt that his brother was speaking earnestly.

Elijah walked around his desk and picked up the phone. He snapped, "Bring the car around."

He pulled on his suit jacket after he hung up the phone. Elijah nearly ran into Hayley as he walked out of his office.

Hayley's smile faltered when she saw Elijah's expression. She had just passed Niklaus in the hallway. Hayley hoped that he hadn't done something reckless. "I was just coming to tell you that dinner is ready. Is something wrong?"

He pecked her lips lovingly and shook his head. "No, I just have to go out for a bit. I am afraid that I will have to miss dinner."

She wanted to press him for answers. However, Hayley knew that Elijah would come to her in time. She straightened his tie and said, "I will wait up for you."

"Thank you," he replied. He walked outside and waited impatiently for the SUV to stop in front of the house.

The driver prepared to get out of the car to open Elijah's door.

"That won't be necessary," he said in a brusque tone. He climbed into the backseat and motioned for his driver to go.

"Where would you like to go, sir?"

"The rectory," he replied.

The man nodded in understanding and quickly pulled away from the mansion.

He was grateful for the solitude that the ride provided. His driver understood that speaking now would be unwise. Elijah needed to sit with the information that Niklaus shared with him. He felt that there was something vital about what his brother was leaving out of his tale. He was worried that this girl's identity and her pedigree would come back to bite them all in the arse. However, something about the timeline troubled him deeply as well. He hoped beyond hope that he was wrong.

Elijah stepped out of his chauffeured SUV and buttoned his suit jacket. He walked up the stairs to the modest rectory that his older brother called home. Finn's simple existence was so far removed from the opulence they enjoyed as children.

Normally, Elijah only saw his brother on Wednesday nights after his family attended evening Mass. However, he often sought Finn's counsel when it came to dealing with their misguided younger brother. They all made certain allowances for Niklaus' behavior because of the way Mikael mistreated the boy when he was a child. Unfortunately, his confession this evening left Elijah in a moral and professional quandary.

Finn was shocked to find Elijah standing on his doorstep. He had spent the entirety of the previous day with his family after performing little Erik's christening. On rare occasions, Elijah would stop by to socialize over a glass of brandy. However, the tense expression on his brother's face meant that this was no social call. He stepped back and beckoned Elijah into the house. "Come in, Eli. I was just about to sit down to dinner. You can join me, brother."

Elijah closed the door after he walked into the rectory. "I'm afraid that I am not in the mood to eat anything, brother. However, I will not prevent you from indulging. I am sure you have had scarcely any time to eat today. I know that your schedule can be quite unforgiving."

Finn wanted to object and give Elijah his full attention. Unfortunately, his stomach chose that precise moment to announce his hunger audibly. His brother was right. On Sundays, he didn't have a moment to himself. He performed three Mass services on Sundays—two in English and one in Spanish. He also met with two couples that afternoon for counseling. He hadn't eaten more than a slice of toast with his morning cup of tea. "Come through to the kitchen."

The younger man followed his brother into the kitchen. He took off his suit jacket and had a seat at the antique table in the kitchen. He had to admit the stew simmering in the crock-pot smelled divine.

Finn ladled a healthy portion of beef stew into two bowls. Then he cut two hunks of freshly baked sourdough bread and carried the bowls to the table. He placed one bowl in front of Elijah before taking his seat. "Eat. Whatever has brought you here has you in quite the state. I doubt that you have eaten dinner."

Elijah breathed in the earthy aroma. His brother had obviously used their mother's recipe. His mother rarely cooked these days. Esther spent most of her time traveling the world and enjoying her life. Mikael's death had freed them all. "Thank you."

Finn bowed his head and said, "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Elijah did the sign of the cross and said, "Amen."

"What troubles you, Elijah? You were in good spirits just yesterday," Finn said.

"Niklaus," he replied. He tore a hunk of the sourdough bread and dipped it into the stew. "He came to me this evening distressed. He has feelings for a young woman but she has rejected his advances."

The priest slowly chewed his meal while wearing a thoughtful expression. "While I am sorry to hear that Niklaus is unhappy, the travails of his love life hardly seem worthy of your attention, brother. He is young still. He will fall in love with someone else when the time is right."

"On any other day you would be right. However, Nik came to me with a genuine query. This young woman not only spurned his advances but accused him of raping her."

The elder Mikaelson brother nearly choked on his dinner. He quickly washed it down with a glass of water. His mind raced. "When did this occur?"

Elijah thought that was a curious question. However, it only added credence to the theory that brought him to his older brother's door. He wasn't there merely to get counsel on how to handle Niklaus. There was a plot afoot and Elijah couldn't believe that he hadn't recognized it before now.

"According to Niklaus, he was intimate with this young woman before his time in prison. He hoped to rekindle their romance now that he is a free man. However, she informed him that there had not been a romance between them. In fact, she informed Niklaus that their previous interactions were tantamount to rape. When he described the situation to me in detail…I was inclined to agree with the girl. She was not of age to consent to a sexual relationship with Niklaus."

Finn abruptly stood up from the table. "Has Niklaus learned nothing after five years of incarceration? I had hoped that he would mature in his time away. Yet he is still the same selfish boy he was back then."

Seeing Finn upset was a rare occurrence. He had been the mellowest of all the Mikaelson children even before he joined the priesthood. "You already knew of Niklaus' transgressions against this girl?" he asked.

Finn rested his hands on the back of his chair. He nodded slowly "Yes."

"Niklaus told you about this?" he asked.

Finn shook his head.

Elijah's mind raced as he tried to piece together this puzzle. "Then the young woman came to you for help?"

"I cannot violate the seal of confession, Elijah," he answered. His eyebrows were knitted together in concern.

The younger man sighed deeply in realization. "Niklaus raped one of your parishioners and you heard her confession on the matter. The poor thing probably didn't realize that she was confessing to his older brother."

Finn didn't respond to Elijah either way. He had already said too much. His grip on the chair tightened as he stared at the floor.

"It was you," he said.

The priest lifted his eyebrows in question. "What are you talking about, Eli?"

"It was you that turned the surveillance video over to the police. I was never able to understand who would have even known about the incident in the church's parking lot. I should have known it was you but I couldn't imagine a situation where you would send our little brother to prison," Elijah said.

He had bribed the family of the man that Niklaus had nearly beaten to death. The man refused to cooperate with the police's investigation and the State's case fell apart. However, a few weeks later someone broke into the church and stole the surveillance footage showing Klaus savagely beating the man. Days later, someone leaked the footage to the media after turning it over to the police.

The public outcry had been swift. The police arrested Niklaus as soon as the forensic lab was able to authenticate the video. Elijah had called in a mountain of favors to get his little brother a favorable plea deal.

"We could have sent Niklaus away to protect this girl. I believe his behavior was deplorable but he is no predator. He has never behaved this way with another woman to my knowledge. I can't believe you sent our brother to prison, Finn!"

"Do you think I wanted to send my brother to prison? I worried for him every day. I prayed for him every night. However, I was trying to save his life and the lives of many others. His reckless behavior could have proven costly. I waited anxiously for weeks and then months for his crimes to be revealed. Yet this girl, this sweet angel, hid her pain from everyone except for God and me."

Elijah said, "Stop speaking in riddles, Finnegan! Explain your betrayal, brother."

"I cannot. You know that I cannot. I have already said too much. I will not violate my vows," he exclaimed.

"We are your family! You owe…"

He cut off Elijah's rant. "You do not get to sit there and lecture me about family. I have blackened my soul for this family. No matter the good I do for the rest of my life I know that I am condemned. The throne you sit upon was paid for through blood that I helped spill."

Elijah's mouth snapped shut as he studied his brother's furious expression.

"If you want the full story then get it from our brother. He knows what he has done. Make him tell you the identity of his victim. Then you will understand that my actions were necessary! Niklaus put us all in terrible danger. You must make him leave that girl alone or you will find yourself in the middle of a war that you will not win."

"Was there truly no other way?" He asked.

Finn merely sighed and sat down in his chair heavily. "I have said all that I can, Elijah. Anything more will have to come from Niklaus."


	25. He's Funny That Way

Bonnie had a litany of complaints about the character of the man she married. However, she never doubted his dedication to their daughter. Damon loved Sarah with his whole heart and made sure that she knew it at all times. Sure, he lavished Sarah with gifts because she was his little princess. However, he proved his love by doing the simple things like reading to her at night and checking her closet for monsters. Moreover, Damon went out of his way to spend time with Sarah whenever possible. Therefore, Bonnie wasn't terribly surprised when Damon revealed that he had rented out their favorite mini golf course for the evening.

Sunday afternoon had been a trying time for the entire Salvatore family. The men had sat their families down for a difficult conversation. They had explained that the children weren't to go anywhere with Giuseppe if he approached them. Furthermore, their families would all have round the clock security until further notice. No one thought that Giuseppe would actually harm one of the children. However, his back was up against the wall. No one could predict his next move. The younger children didn't really understand what was happening. However, they promised not to go anywhere with Giuseppe if he approached them. The older children were a different story. Josie, Lizzie, Lucien, and Jamie were old enough to read between the lines. They had more questions about what to do if they saw or heard from Giuseppe.

Bonnie hated that any of the children had to deal with this ugliness. She could vividly recall the first time she realized that danger could take the shape of someone familiar. In the beginning, parents spend so much time warning their children about the danger strangers posed to them. However, when your grandmother runs a criminal organization you quickly learn that there are different rules. There was every chance that someone that was once trustworthy would turn around and shoot you in the face. Sheila taught Bonnie how important it was never to trust anyone completely. Even the most loyal soldier could one day become your greatest enemy. The Lockwood and Donovan families had proven that.

She was anxious about Damon's trip to Milazzo. Bonnie wasn't afraid of Giuseppe suddenly appearing. She would kill the old bastard with her own two hands if necessary. The drunkard had caught her off guard once but it would never happen again. Bonnie kept a blade of some sort on her at all times now. No, she was concerned about Damon's ability to convince the old guard of his dedication to Milazzo. Her husband could be incredibly persuasive. Frankly, he was twice the man and leader than Giuseppe had ever been. However, Damon had not spent enough time in Milazzo. Bonnie had hoped that it wouldn't be a point of contention. Unfortunately, Mason was concerned because of chatter picked up by the Loiacono family. It seemed as if Bonnie would have to intervene on her husband's behalf.

Bonnie planned to speak with Big John once Damon was in Milazzo. He needed the Benedetto family's unwavering support now more than ever. The captains were smart. They all knew the importance of the alliance between the Benedetto and Salvatore families. The capos would make the right choice once they knew that Giuseppe had lost Big John's support. However, it was more than just support that mattered. Bonnie needed the capos to understand that siding with Giuseppe meant death. If the Benedettos and Salvatores were not allies then they were enemies. Enemies could not share a city the size of Milazzo. She would lobby her uncle to wipe them all out if it became necessary.

Bonnie watched as Damon chased Sarah and Bella around in circles. The girls were squealing at the top of their lungs as he pretended to catch them. All of the children, including, Josie and Lizzie, were having a good time. It was primarily a mini golf course, but there were arcade games and a playground for the kids to enjoy as well. Damon had succeeded in distracting everyone from the black cloud that was hovering over the family. However, Bonnie knew that it was only temporary. In a few hours, those fears would return in full force when the Salvatore men left for the airport.

Tyler walked over to the metal table where Bonnie had been sitting for the last hour. He placed a cardboard container filled with food and a bottle of apple juice in front of her. "You need to eat, Bon."

Her lips curved into a small smile at his stern voice. She inspected the variety of concession stand food that Tyler had procured for her. The onions rings actually tempted Bonnie a little and the chicken tenders didn't look half bad either. However, she was worried about becoming nauseous—again. The young mother was vomiting so much lately that it made her reluctant to eat anything. However, she knew that Tyler would not give up until she ate something.

Bonnie said, "I am not going to be able to eat all of this, Ty."

He shrugged. "Eat as much or as little as you like. I just want to make sure that you eat something. You haven't eaten anything since you took Sarah to brunch."

Tyler had attended Mass with Bonnie and Sarah that morning. He could have waited for them in the car but he never would have heard then end of it from his mother. Tyler's family had attended that church since he was a boy. Unfortunately, something about the situation had attracted his father's attention. Tyler received a curt text message from his father as soon as the service ended. Richard had demanded to speak with him in person tomorrow morning. Now Tyler wished that he had taken Mason's advice and talked to his father days ago.

He wasn't looking forward to having this conversation with his father. Tyler knew that Richard was going to warn him away from Bonnie. However, he wasn't a teenager anymore. He would respectfully listen to his father's opinion and then promptly dismiss it. Tyler was already dealing with a mountain of guilt and anger. He was in Milazzo the summer that Klaus raped Bonnie. Tyler kept wondering if he could have prevented it somehow. If Tyler had been in town, he certainly would have been hanging out with her at the party that night. The young man knew that his father wasn't to blame but he couldn't shake the bitterness he felt.

She picked up an onion ring and bit into it. "Are you happy now?

"Very," he replied with a grin. "How do they taste? I made sure the guy made a fresh batch for you."

Bonnie smiled. "They're good. You know that I can't resist onion rings."

"I know," he replied with a grin.

She sampled all of the food Tyler had brought over to her. Bonnie was being cautious but it seemed, for the moment, that she might be able to keep it down.

Tyler studied her in silence for a few minutes.

"What?"

"Nothing," he replied.

Bonnie lifted an eyebrow. "Seriously, why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"

He chuckled. "No, you don't have anything on your face, Bon. I was just thinking that you look beautiful."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I look like I am dying. I feel like it, too."

"I'm serious. I never thought it was a real thing before now but you are glowing," he insisted. "Besides, the color blue looks good on you."

Bonnie immediately thought about the moment they shared at the beach house. She hadn't worn the blue and white striped sweater dress on purpose today. It was just one of the warmer options in her closet. Los Angeles didn't get very cold even in December. However, sitting outside for hours in 50 degree weather required a little preparation. That was especially true after sunset.

She tried to hide her smile from Tyler. However, the cocky grin on his face proved that she had been unsuccessful. "You look pretty good, too."

Tyler was wearing a black long sleeved Henley that clung to his toned arms and chest. He winked at her and stole a curly fry that she had largely ignored in favor of the onion rings.

She said, "It was nice seeing your mom this morning. I might have to take her advice on trying those nutritional shakes. Can you get the name of them for me?"

"Sure. I hope that you don't mind that I told her about your morning sickness. I guess that I was just looking for her to reassure me that this was normal," he confessed.

Bonnie shook her head. "I don't mind at all. I am flying without a net here. I can use all the advice that I can get. Besides, it's nice to knowing that you care."

"Always," he promised.

She tried to ignore the way her heart sped up at his simple reply. "Have you bought a Christmas gift for your mom yet? I hope you learned your lesson from last year's debacle."

He laughed. "Yes, I learned my lesson about giving my mother a gift card for Christmas. I don't know what to get for her yet. You know that my mom is old school. What she really wants from me are grandchildren—several of them. Anything I buy for her will be a massive disappointment. I'll figure something out between now and the 25th."

Bonnie huffed out a laugh. "Well, you are 23-years-old. You should at the very least be married by now."

He rolled his eyes. "You sound just like her. She keeps asking me if Elena will be spending Christmas with our family this year."

She was practically inhaling the onion rings now that she wasn't feeling queasy. Bonnie was intent on enjoying the feeling while it lasted. "What did you tell her?"

"I stuffed a blueberry muffin in my mouth and got the fuck out of there. I am sure that she will ask me again when I drop by the house tomorrow morning."

Bonnie laughed and shook her head.

"What is so funny?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You are a coward."

"When it comes to my mom…definitely. The woman is terrifying," he admitted. "I don't know why I am stressing over it. It's not like my mom actually likes Elena. But I think that has more to do with Miranda than it does with Elena."

Bonnie bit her lip as she considered what to say. The selfish part of the young woman wanted Tyler to break up with Elena. She wanted him for herself. However, the sensible part of Bonnie understood that she was tied to Damon whether she liked it or not. Going down this road would be dangerous and unfair to Tyler. She would never forgive herself if Damon hurt him or worse.

Finally, she said, "Maybe the two of you will work it out. I mean you have been together off and on for a few years now. You always seem to find your way back to one another."

Tyler didn't need to be inside Bonnie's head to know what she was thinking. She had been worried about him since Stefan's text last night. However, Tyler wasn't nearly as concerned about Damon as they were.

He smiled wryly. "I think she's cheating on me. Which, I guess is kind of fair considering what I have been up to lately."

Bonnie's eyes went wide. "Are you serious right now? Since when do you think Elena is cheating on you? You've been holding out on me a lot lately."

He shrugged. "I don't have any proof yet. It is just a feeling I have been getting for awhile now. I think something is going on with Elena and her study buddy, Aaron. They have been spending a lot of time together at his apartment."

"I'm sorry, Ty," Bonnie murmured.

He chuckled. "No, you aren't."

"No, I am really sorry. Despite everything that is happening right now, I know that you love her. You planned a future where she was going to be your wife. It can't feel good to have her betray you."

Tyler chuckled. "Thanks for the concern but I am okay. I do love Elena but I haven't been in love with her for awhile. I think if she were honest with me, she would say the same thing. Elena and I have been headed in opposite directions for a long time. She wants to distance herself from the life and I am neck deep in it. I think some part of her thought I might give it all up one day. That just proves that she doesn't know me at all."

Bonnie hummed in agreement. She could understand Elena's desire to get away from mob life. It was a difficult way to live. It was even worse for women. Many of the men believed that a woman's only worthwhile roles were as a wife and a mother. That sort of ideology could be suffocating and soul crushing. Giuseppe had effortlessly bullied Bonnie into assuming that role in her marriage to Damon. Giuseppe hadn't wanted Bonnie to attend college, make friends, pursue any hobbies, or even spend time with her own family.

"What are you going to do? I mean are you going to confront her with your suspicions?"

He said, "No. I am planning to break up with her. I won't be doing either of us any favors by dragging out the inevitable. If she isn't cheating on me with Aaron, then she certainly wants to. I mean I get it. They have a hell of a lot more in common than Elena and I do these days."

"Oh," Bonnie replied.

She stuffed an onion ring into her mouth so that she didn't say anything else. Bonnie desperately wanted to know if she was part of the reason Tyler wanted to break up with Elena. However, asking that question would be presumptuous of her. Moreover, there were too many ears around for them to have that conversation safely.

"I am going to wait until Elena finishes her finals. Not to be conceited but I don't want to distract her from that. Medical school is so important to Elena. She's determined to become a doctor like her parents."

She nodded. "That's really considerate of you, Tyler."

"I heard that your cousin is going to be in town for Christmas," Tyler said. He really wanted to change the subject. The less Bonnie thought about his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend the better.

"Who Lucy?" she asked.

"No. Cesare and my sister are bringing the kids out here for Christmas. Lexi told my mom yesterday," he replied.

Bonnie tensed at his answer. She wondered if this was an innocent visit or was Big John sending his grandson for a reason. Bonnie loved her uncle and she trusted him. However, she wanted him in the dark for as long as possible. She couldn't risk Big John interfering with her plans. It seemed her conversation with him would be even more important now. The old man wasn't stupid. He had to realize that something big was on the horizon.

"I hope I get to see Lexi and the kids while they are here," Bonnie said with a smile.

"I'll make sure to bring them by the manor. Besides, I wouldn't think that Cesare would come to Los Angeles without seeing you," he replied.

She nodded in agreement. She was pretty close to Cesare despite the age difference. Sheila and John made sure that the two cousins spent time together as children. They wanted their grandchildren to share a bond like the one they had shared. The bond was one of the reasons that the Benedetto organization remained so strong despite being split in half. They behaved as family instead of business associates or allies.

"Definitely not," she laughed. "The last time we talked Cesare mentioned wanting to attend my graduation in May. I got the feeling that he wasn't the only one that would make the trip."

"There's no way that Big John would miss your graduation. He will be there to cheer for you since Miss Sheila can't be there. How are your classes coming along, anyway?" he asked curiously.

"Everything is great. I have almost finished writing my final research paper for Strategic Management. I just hope these next two weeks go by quickly. I am ready for this semester to end."

Tyler asked, "Are you taking a full course load next semester?"

She shook her head. "No, next semester I will only have two business admin electives and my internship at Velocita."

He grinned. "We'll be working in the same building. This of course means that we will have to grab lunch together every once in awhile to share office gossip."

"Really?" she asked with an unimpressed look.

"I'm serious. There is tons of juicy gossip at Velocita. I hear all of it because I work in security. The IT department is the only department that knows more gossip than we do. They see everything because they have access to people's company issued phones, tablets, and e-mail accounts."

"What kind of gossip do you know?" Bonnie asked.

"Zach's secretary is screwing the VP of marketing. Everyone in the security department knows because they got caught in the back of his car."

Her eyes went wide. "Where were they parked?"

"They were in the parking garage at like 10 o'clock at night. I guess they thought everyone was gone for the evening. They were going at it butt naked," Tyler explained.

Bonnie snorted loudly as she laughed but her expression became more guarded when she noticed Damon walking towards them.

Tyler didn't need to look behind him to know that Damon was approaching. He remained seated and stole another curly fry. Last night Tyler and Bonnie decided that pretending they weren't friends was no longer sustainable. It was better to act as if it were no big deal. Damon would like a controlling asshole if he said anything.

Damon walked around to Bonnie's side of the table and sat beside her. He draped his arm over her shoulders. "What are the two of you talking about over here?"

"We're talking about my internship at Velocita," Bonnie replied.

Damon wasn't sure what answer he had expected but it wasn't that. He asked, "Are you excited?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am. Zach e-mailed the internship packet it to me a few days ago. I didn't realize that I would be working directly under him."

He said, "Well, Zach handles the majority of the company's day-to-day responsibilities. I figured that you would be interested in learning what that all entails. Besides, I am the only other person I would want you working with at Velocita. However, I am sure that your school wouldn't approve of you being an intern for your husband."

Bonnie laughed. "That's a really good point."

He kissed Bonnie softly and asked, "How are you feeling, bunny?"

The younger man was glad that his hands were beneath the table because they had clenched into fists involuntarily. Tyler knew that he was walking a tightrope right now. Stefan knew Damon better than anyone else did. If his childhood friend was concerned, then Tyler knew that he should be, too. However, it was difficult pretending that he didn't want to murder Damon.

For her part, Bonnie acted as if she didn't notice the tension between the two men. Damon wouldn't dare confront Tyler in such a public setting. For now, he was just asserting his dominance. She tried not to roll her eyes at his audacity. He was mere hours away from flying halfway around the world to fuck his mistress.

She said, "I am okay. I am just hoping that I will be able to keep this food down. I didn't have much luck earlier today."

Damon's eyebrows furrowed in concern for his wife. "Maybe you should make an appointment to see Dr. Huerta again. There has to be something that he can do."

She said, "I plan to call his office first thing tomorrow morning. My mom mentioned that he might be able to prescribe something to ease my nausea."

He pressed a kiss to her temple. Damon was regretting his decision to leave early. Unfortunately, there wasn't much that he could do for Bonnie even if he stayed. "I want you to call me if you need anything while I am away."

"I will."

"I'm serious, Bonnie."

"I promise," she replied.

Stefan walked over and clapped his friend on the back. "Come play pop-a-shot with me."

Tyler snapped out of his brooding when Stefan walked up to the table. He asked, "They have pop-a-shot here?"

"Yeah. Come play so that I can kick your ass."

He huffed out a laugh. "In your dreams, Salvatore. We both know who has the better jump shot."

Stefan feigned confusion and asked, "Who played varsity basketball in high school?"

Tyler rolled his eyes and said, "I'm sorry. I can't hear you over the two state championships I won in baseball."

Bonnie laughed at the two of them.

Damon rolled his eyes. Stefan had made a concerted effort not to speak to his older brother all day.

Stefan said, "Hey! I was a two sport athlete."

"That just means that you are a jack of all trades, but master of none," Tyler joked.

"Fine. It's time to put your money where your mouth is, Lockwood. How much cash do you have on you?"

Tyler stood up and took out his wallet. He said, "Not much but they have an ATM here. Let's say $500 that I get the highest score."

"That's a bet."

Bonnie smirked and said, "I'll put $500 on Stefan."

Tyler's brown eyes went wide in amusement. He feigned offense. "Et tu, Bon-Bon?"

She shrugged and said, "Stefan does have a better jump shot than you do. Besides, he is my big brother. I kinda have to take his side."

Stefan leaned over the table and kissed the top of Bonnie's head. "And that's why I love her so much."

Tyler said, "But I bought you food! I made them fry fresh onion rings and chicken tenders for you!"

Bonnie scrunched up her nose. "He does have a point there. And these onion rings are really yummy."

"Wait a minute. You can't change your bet now," Stefan exclaimed.

She giggled. "Okay, I'll stick with my original bet. I'm good for the money."

Stefan laughed and said, "Let's go, Ty. Pop-a-shot is calling our names."

Tyler chuckled and followed Stefan. "We both need to hit the ATM first. I'm not taking an I.O.U. when you lose. You have a history of being a welsher on bets."

Bonnie glanced at her husband. "Is everything okay with you and Stefan?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Why do you ask?"

She lifted an eyebrow and replied, "Maybe because he didn't say one word to you. It also might have to do with the fact that Stefan has a black eye and a busted lip. Did you two get into a fight last night?"

"We did but it's not a big deal. We were both drunk and said some things that we didn't mean," he replied.

Bonnie nodded but knew that it was more to it than that. She knew both Salvatore brothers very well. They didn't get into drunken fights that left behind bruises for no reason.

Her gaze shifted to their daughter. "It looks like Sarah is having a blast."

"She is but I have learned that our daughter is a cheater," he declared. He couldn't suppress the grin on his face.

Damon hadn't known whether to be proud of Sarah's attempts at cheating or if he should have chastised her. Ultimately, he decided not to be a hypocrite by telling her to play fair. Damon hated losing, too. Everyone knew the story of the time he put a man in the hospital during a drunken brawl. The fight had started over a contentious game of pool.

Bonnie huffed out a laugh and said, "Yes, she is. She also happens to be a sore loser and an ungracious winner."

He smirked and said, "That's my girl. I was beginning to wonder if she took after me at all."

"Oh, she's definitely your daughter. Sarah is a little angel most of the time but she has her moments."

Damon said, "She doesn't just get that from me. I remember you unplugging Stefan's video games whenever he was beating you. At least she hasn't picked up on our violent streaks."

"I was never violent," Bonnie said with wide eyes.

"I watched you throw a controller at my brother's head, Bunny!"

Damon laughed heartily. He would never forget the look on eight-year-old Bonnie's face after the controller missed Stefan's head by an inch. She hadn't been even remotely remorseful at the time.

Bonnie had enough self-awareness to look a little chagrinned by her past behavior. She folded her arms and complained, "Stefan kept choosing games that he knew I couldn't play."

Damon pecked her lips. "It was completely justified I'm sure."

"It was," she mumbled.

"I hope you are okay with me giving Sarah a phone. I know that I should have talked to you about it first."

She shook her head. "No, I get it, Damon. Sarah is scared about you leaving. I think having a way to call you at all times will make her feel more secure."

He carded his fingers through Bonnie's hair. "You know that I wouldn't leave if I didn't have to."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I understand that it's business. I will think of something fun to do with Sarah to keep her busy. She has been asking about ballet lessons. Maybe I can take her to check out a few classes. Hayley loves the dance instructor at the studio where Hope takes lessons."

He was taken aback by that. Damon could still remember Bonnie prancing around in her tutu as a kid. Ballet was another thing she had given up when she became his wife. "Sarah wants to take ballet? Since when?"

Bonnie nodded. "She found my old Swan Lake costume. I showed her the video and she has been talking about it ever since. I think she even has Nico and Bella interested in ballet. Maybe I can convince Care to bring the twins along, too. They love doing everything together anyway."

Damon winced. He was glad that Giuseppe was out of the country because he would lose his shit if he thought his grandson was going to be prancing around in tights. He wouldn't even let Stefan audition for school plays when he was in high school. Damon didn't have the same type of hang ups that Giuseppe did. He didn't see anything wrong with his nephew wanting to dance.

"I mean if she's really interested in ballet, we can hire someone to teach her at the manor," he suggested.

"She's already homeschooled. I don't think that there is anything wrong with her taking a few ballet classes with other kids around her age. She needs to make friends outside of her family."

Bonnie wanted to give Sarah as normal life as she could manage. Bonnie had been homeschooled since Sheila traveled frequently. Her grandmother was old school and didn't believe in having staff raise her granddaughter. However, it meant that Bonnie didn't have very many friends while growing up.

Damon knew that his wife had a point. Sarah's social circle consisted of her cousins and the children of men that worked for their family. There was an entire world with which he wasn't letting her interact. Damon just knew the cruelty of the world around them. Everyone assumed that Damon was a legitimate businessman but that wouldn't hold once he took out Giuseppe.

He nodded, "I'll let Ric know. He'll assign another guard to go with you."

She asked, "Is that really necessary, Damon? Either Tyler or Matt would be capable of protecting us. It will be weird for two grown men without children to stand around watching the class. We will just end up drawing attention to ourselves."

"It is better to be safe than sorry. Things are a little uncertain right now. Just trust me…"

She nodded dutifully. "Okay."

Damon studied the frown on his wife's face. He relented, "The second guard can just stand outside."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

He wrapped his arms around Bonnie and captured her lips with his. The kiss was tender and over much too quickly for his liking. "I love you, Bunny. I know things are…strained right now but they will get better. You and me, we're forever."

"I love you, too. Honestly, I don't know how not to love you." Sometimes she wished that she did. This would be so much easier if she could just turn off her emotions.

"Well, I am a very lucky man for that reason." He leaned his forehead down against hers. Damon moved his hands onto her stomach. "What do you think we are going to have? Boys? Girls? A boy and a girl?"

Bonne shrugged. "I don't know. We will only have to wait a few weeks to find out if they are in the right position. I hope that we have at least one boy."

Damon heard Zach's voice in the back of his head saying that Bonnie wouldn't need him anymore if she gave birth to a son.

Ric walked over and cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt. Can I speak to you, Damon?"

The younger man frowned but nodded. "I'll be right back, bunny."

"Okay."

Damon followed Ric to a secluded area. "What's up?"

"I just heard from Luke. He has eyes on Giuseppe. He is staying with Sabine and her kid," Ric said.

He frowned. "Since when does Sabine have a kid?"

He shrugged. "Luke said the little boy looks a few years old. He might be three or four years old."

"Do you think he's Giuseppe's kid?"

Ric laughed and said, "I doubt it. I would know if my older brother had any illegitimate children. Trust me on that. We had that conversation years ago when I started dating Abby."

Damon chuckled and asked, "Had to make sure that you weren't unwittingly fucking your niece? You better hope that he was telling you the truth."

"I wouldn't be the only one fucked by that particular lie. It would make Abby your sister and Bonnie your niece."

He groaned and shoved his uncle. "I didn't need to be reminded about that. When we head home I was going to see if my wife was remotely interested in giving me one for the road."

Ric laughed and clapped Damon on the back. He said, "Good luck with that. Be ready to leave at 10 o'clock. Your little detour in Tenerife is going to make our schedule tight."

"Yeah, I know but it would be better if I had a grip on at least of one my situations before we go to Milazzo."

Ric nodded in understanding because he had taken the same tactic. He was on solid ground with Abby. However, he was going to have to do some damage control with Jo when they returned. Alaric hadn't figured out how to broach the topic of his affair yet. "Alright, just make sure that you are ready to leave on time."

Damon grumbled, "I heard you the first time."

He smirked. "You ain't the boss yet."


	26. Clearing The Air

Damon groaned as he watched his little brother from across the aisle. They had been in the air for well over eleven hours now. However, Stefan hadn't spoken a single word to Damon. As soon as they boarded the private jet, the younger Salvatore took a seat in the back. Stefan had put on noise cancelling headphones so that he could get some sleep. He managed to get eight and a half hours of uninterrupted rest before he woke up to eat breakfast. Damon had been tempted to wake Stefan up just to irritate him. He hated that his brother seemed so unaffected by their fight while it was eating him up inside.

Unfortunately, Stefan wasn't exactly more talkative once he was awake. After eating breakfast, he had put in ear buds so that he could listen to music as he worked on his laptop. Occasionally, he spoke to Zach or Ric if they stopped by his seat to ask him something. The little bastard even had a lengthy conversation with Mason Lockwood about something that Damon couldn't hear from his seat. All he knew was that Stefan and Mason kept laughing about something and it grated on his nerves. However, as soon as Mason returned to his seat, Stefan put his ear buds in again.

Damon wasn't good at apologizing to the people that he hurt. Generally, if he wronged someone important in his life, he gave the person expensive gifts as a gesture of goodwill. However, that sort of move never worked with his baby brother because it was too reminiscent of Giuseppe's old tricks. The man would terrorize his family in unspeakable ways while he was drunk. Days later, he would leave terribly expensive gifts in their bedrooms as an apology. Giuseppe would never verbally acknowledge how badly he had hurt his younger brothers and sons. For example, Damon had received his first dirt bike after Giuseppe broke his arm during one of his drunken rampages.

Alaric shook his head as he watched Damon glare in Stefan's direction for what felt like the thousandth time. He walked over and sat down beside his nephew. "We are going to be landing in less than an hour. Go talk to your brother."

"I have nothing to say to the asshole. He has been acting as if I am invisible. He can come to me when he wants to talk. I am not about to kiss his ass," Damon replied in a sour tone.

The older man shook his head in exasperation. Sometimes dealing with his nephews was like dealing with children. He said, "He's the one sporting a black eye, Damon. You should be the one extending an olive branch to him. More than that, you are the older brother. It is your job to make this right. Your brother is always going to be your greatest ally. Stefan will never admit it but he still looks up to you. You hurt him Saturday night—not just with your fists but with your words."

Damon glared at his uncle. He didn't feel like being the bigger man right now. He felt as if all of his personal relationships were going to shit. Damon knew that he was at fault for that. He had been so focused on securing his base of power that he had neglected everything else in his life. He raked a frustrated hand through his hair. He barked out, "Okay! I will talk to him if that will make you stop lecturing me. You are worse than Zach is."

Ric smirked as he stood up. He squeezed Damon's shoulder. "Where do you think he learned it?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah," he muttered darkly.

Ric chuckled and returned to his seat. He was confident that Damon would do the right thing. He wanted his nephews to be on speaking terms because it made his life easier. However, he was more concerned with making sure that Damon was in a good headspace when they made it to Milazzo. He couldn't be dragging around that surly attitude while dealing with the old guard. They had seen enough of Giuseppe's volatility to spot it a mile away. His nephew was more like his father than he would ever willingly admit. But Ric didn't judge him harshly for it because he was in a similar boat. Sometimes Ric saw Giuseppe staring back at him when he looked into a mirror.

Damon opened his carry-on bag and retrieved a bag of Hershey's candies. It was no secret that he liked chocolate almost as much as he liked bourbon. However, his love for chocolate grew exponentially when he quit using cocaine regularly. Damon knew that it was exchanging one vice for another but it was the lesser of two evils.

He stood and walked back to where Stefan was sitting. He plopped down in the seat beside his brother and tossed the bag of candy onto his laptop.

Stefan looked down at the bag of candy and then looked up at his brother with a raised eyebrow.

Damon rolled his eyes and pulled out one of Stefan's ear buds. He said, "It's meant to be a peace offering. Don't be an asshole."

He removed the other ear bud and picked up the bag of candy. He said, "If you are going to bribe me there is a Patek Philippe watch I have had my eye on for awhile."

The older man huffed out a laugh. His younger brother had an ostentatious collection of watches. He pinched Stefan's cheek and said, "Maybe if you are a good boy Santa will bring it for Christmas."

Stefan laughed despite himself. He shoved Damon's shoulder. "Fuck you."

Damon's expression sobered. He said, "I'm sorry for hitting you, Stefan. I was drunk and angry but I never should have let it get that far. Most of all I am sorry for what I said to you. I am happy that you have never had to fight Giuseppe. I never wanted that life for you. It doesn't make you any less of a man."

He closed the laptop and slid it into his bag. If Damon was willing to apologize, then Stefan was willing to participate in the conversation. "Yes, it does make me less of a man...at least it does in your eyes."

"I was just angry and spouting off bullshit to get under your skin. I didn't mean it. I know that I don't say it but I am proud of you Stefan. You're a good kid."

Stefan gave an exasperated sigh and complained, "That's the thing, I am not a kid anymore, Damon. You would have at least listened to our uncles because you respect them. You don't respect me because you've been protecting me since we were kids. You didn't even want me to come on this trip with you. I am a grown man and I don't need to be protected anymore. Not from our father and certainly not from our business."

Damon sighed and scratched at the stubble on his face. "Maybe I do still treat you like a kid. You are always going to be my baby brother, Stefan. I am always going to try to protect you from all the awful shit in the world. That's my job. I know what I am. I am a fucking monster because of the things I do for this family. I don't want that for you. Do you think any of us want you to turn out like we did?"

The younger man was quiet for a beat. He asked, "How exactly did you think I would turn out with a man like Giuseppe as my father? I still grew up in that house. I escaped most of the beatings that you all suffered but I didn't escape the violence of this life. I'm just as fucked up as the rest of you. I am just better at hiding it. I make better decisions than the rest of you do but it is only because I put forth the effort. I can do more than just be the numbers guy, Damon."

Damon's eyes went to his brother's side like a heat-seeking missile. Even while Stefan was wearing a shirt, Damon knew where the scar was located. A bullet had grazed Stefan's side when he was all of six years old. He and Bonnie narrowly escaped being killed by automatic gunfire. They both probably would have died if not for Paul Bennett and Alonzo Lockwood's quick reaction time. The two men realized the drive by was about to happen just as the first shots interrupted the jubilance outside the church. Alonzo and Paul pushed the two children to the ground and shielded them from the hail of gunfire.

Damon had been behind the church when the drive by shooting happened. He had been drinking with some of his cousins. Damon had hit the ground on instinct and stayed there until he heard tires squealing away from the church. When it was safe he had ran around the building to check on his family. Stefan and Bonnie were lying on the ground covered in blood. At first, Damon thought they might have been dead because of how still they were. Of course, they both survived, and most of the blood belonged to Paul and Alonzo. A bullet had only grazed Stefan. Meanwhile, Bonnie had a gash on the back of her head where she had hit it against the pavement.

"Is that why you kept pushing me at the club? Were you trying to prove that you weren't a little kid anymore?" Damon asked. He genuinely wanted to understand what was going in in his brother's head. Something was definitely off kilter with Stefan.

Stefan shook his head. "No. I saw that you were angry and frustrated. I know this thing with Giuseppe has had you in a weird emotional place. I was worried that you would take that frustration out on Tyler. He is my best friend, Damon. I couldn't stand by and let you hurt him. I trusted that you wouldn't go too far if I was the target for your rage."

He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Do you know how stupid that was? I could have hurt you, fratellino."

"I know but you might have killed him," Stefan replied.

Damon felt as if his little brother had just stabbed him in the chest. Did he truly think Damon was the type of animal that would beat a man to death without provocation? He could admit to being suspicious of Bonnie and Tyler's friendship. However, he wouldn't kill the kid simply because he was suspicious. Damon also wasn't stupid enough to think that Richard would just accept his youngest son being whacked over a woman.

He glanced toward the front of the plane to ensure that Mason wasn't paying them any attention. He lowered his voice and said, "I will admit that I am a jealous fuck but I am not going to kill Tyler. I don't actually think that anything is going on between Bonnie and Tyler. I was just irritated to learn that they are closer than I knew. I don't like that she kept that a secret from me. I don't appreciate that you kept it from me, too."

Stefan grimaced. "I didn't say anything because I thought that you would make a big deal out of nothing. Bonnie had to give up so much when she married into our family. I didn't want her to give up one of her only friends."

Damon huffed. "Bonnie has friends."

He lifted an eyebrow at his older brother. "Name three of her friends."

"Caroline."

"I suppose that you can count her sister-in-law as a friend," Stefan replied.

"Hayley," he suggested.

The younger man glared at Damon. He knew his brother wasn't dense. Hayley was Elijah's wife. Therefore, there was only so much that Bonnie could share about her life. She had to project a certain image of her relationship with Damon to the outside world. Afterall, they were supposed to be a fairytale romance. How else could they have sold a man marrying a girl ten years his junior to the public?

"She has you, too," Damon added.

He nodded. "Right. Bonnie's only friends are her brother and sister-in-law. You allowed Giuseppe to turn her into a prisoner in the same way he turned our mother into a prisoner. Don't be like him. Be confident enough in your marriage to know that Tyler isn't a threat. Bonnie loves you. She's been in love with you for years."

Unfortunately, Damon didn't feel very confident in his marriage. He loved Bonnie but something was off in their relationship. Damon couldn't tell if this was a new occurrence or if he was only now recognizing it. For the first time in for years, Damon was truly concerned that he might lose his wife. The idea scared him more than almost anything else did. It was easier for Damon to place the blame on a possible interloper instead of owning the ways in which he had broken her trust and her heart.

Damon said, "Alright, I'll back off the issue. You're right that it's unfair to dictate Bonnie's friends."

Stefan relaxed a little. He hoped that Damon truly meant what he said. No one would be overly shocked to learn that Damon didn't pay enough attention to his wife. However, Stefan was more detail oriented than his older brother was. Furthermore, he just spent more time with Bonnie than Damon did. Therefore, the sudden appearance of the Saint Christopher's medal around Bonnie's neck did not go unnoticed by him. Normally, Bonnie wore a white gold crucifix unless she was attending a formal affair. Since Shadow Hills, she had been wearing the crucifix and the medal.

Stefan had hoped that he was drawing the wrong conclusions when he saw the medal. However, when they made it back to Los Angeles Stefan realized that Tyler was no longer wearing his Saint Christopher's medal. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Bonnie was now wearing it. Stefan wasn't sure exactly what it meant but he knew that Damon would go ballistic if he knew.

Stefan found himself in an impossible situation. He loved his older brother. He would never be able to repay Damon for literally stepping in front of Giuseppe's fists for him. However, Bonnie and Tyler were like his brother and sister, too. They had grown up together and he loved them both. He also knew how much Damon's actions hurt Bonnie on a regular basis. He tried to encourage his brother to be a better husband but Damon usually responded by taunting Stefan for being whipped.

"Are we good now?" Damon asked.

"Yes, I forgive you for being a drunken asshole."

The older man chuckled and grabbed his bag of candy.

Stefan said, "Hey! I thought that was meant to be a peace offering."

"You said that you wanted a watch. I'll get you the watch instead."

He mocked his older brother, "Thanks, Santa. At least give me a few pieces of candy."

Damon rolled his eyes and tore open the bag. He dumped half of the bag onto Stefan's lap. He stood up and asked, "Happy?"

Stefan scrambled to keep the candy from tumbling onto the floor. He glared at Damon. "You are such an asshole."

He unwrapped a piece of chocolate and popped it into his mouth. "You're just figuring that out?"

Stefan shook his head and put in his ear buds again. He looked toward the front of the plane and stared at the back of Ric's head. The situation with Damon wasn't the only thing weighing on his mind. He looked down at his phone and pulled up Lilly's contact information. Stefan couldn't get the conversation with Lilly out of his head.

Damon returned to his seat feeling much better now that he had settled things with Stefan. Now if he could just square things away with Katherine he would be 2 for 2. His biggest challenge would be fixing whatever was broken in his relationship with Bonnie. However, that situation would have to wait until Giuseppe was dead. Then he would be able to give Bonnie his undivided attention.

Soon the plane landed at a private airstrip near the capital city. They had departed from Los Angeles at 11 o'clock on Sunday night. Currently, it was just shy of 9 o'clock Monday evening in Tenerife. Their small contingent deplaned and then climbed into the two SUVs waiting for them on the tarmac.

Stefan frowned as he stared at his phone.

Damon looked over at him. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just trying to figure out what to say to Caroline," he admitted.

"About what?"

"I don't like lying to my wife about where I am, Damon," he deadpanned.

The older man frowned because he hadn't considered that their pit stop would present a problem for anyone. "Just tell her that you made it. I doubt that Blondie is going to ask for details."

Stefan said, "I guess that you are right about that. Caroline wasn't really thrilled about me coming on this trip in the first place."

Damon decided to send a similarly vague text to Bonnie. Afterwards he put away his phone and relaxed against the heated leather seat. It had been a long time since Damon had last visited the island. However, he had spent many vacations there as a child. The villa in Tenerife had been a favorite destination for his father because of its close proximity to Milazzo. Giuseppe would fly back and forth conducting business while they were on vacation.

He lifted a surprised eyebrow as the SUVs pulled up to the two-story villa. There were several cars parked on the street. Furthermore, he could hear the persistent thump of a bass heavy song. Damon tried not to be irritated with Katherine for throwing a party. He had called in advance to tell her when they would arrive.

The chauffeured SUVs parked in the vacant driveway.

Damon climbed out of the car and headed up to the house. The door opened before he even had a chance to take out his keys.

Katherine stood there holding a glass of bourbon. She was wearing a halter dress made of red lace and a pair of stilettos. The dress barely brushed the tops of her thighs. However, the piece de resistance was that dress didn't have lining underneath the lace. Therefore, the dress was completely see-through.

The mobster's cerulean eyes were drawn to the La Perla bra and panty set that was visible through the sheer material of the dress.

She smirked seeing the way Damon hungrily drank in her appearance. She handed him the glass of bourbon and said, "Welcome home, Damon. I hope you don't mind that I invited over a few of my friends. I just figured you wouldn't want your uncles and brother to be bored senseless."

Damon grinned as he kissed Katherine. "You always think of everything."

"Well, I have been a very bad girl. I had to make it up to you somehow," Katherine said. She moved aside to let them into the villa.

Damon took a sip of the bourbon and followed Katherine into the living room where seven young women were currently dancing and drinking. He also noticed the rather large quantity of drugs on the coffee table. "This is a nice start…"

"Oh, I fully expect to be punished for my bad behavior," she replied seductively. Katherine turned her attention to the other four men. "These are my friends and they are here to make sure you all have a great time tonight. They are all very discreet and I have instituted a no cell phone policy for the night. Go wild…"

Zach frowned when he saw the way Damon's eyes seem drawn to the cocaine. His nephew no longer had a problem, but that didn't mean there weren't small relapses periodically. Zach could tell that tonight was going to get out of hand quickly. He decided to go put his bag down in one of the bedrooms. He would be turning in soon. Unlike Stefan, Zach hadn't slept a wink in an attempt to adjust to the time difference.

Enzo walked into the room with a leggy brunette woman at his side. He finished zipping his pants and then grinned at Damon. "I am glad that you made it!"

Damon chuckled. He could tell by Enzo's over exuberance that he was already drunk. The two men hugged. "Having fun?"

"Yes! My goal is to sample all of the beauties here tonight. Two down…six to go," he replied.

Katherine sauntered over to Stefan while Damon greeted Enzo. She stroked a hand up his arm. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight, Stefan. Did you finally decide to join the big boys?"

Stefan glared at Katherine and easily brushed her hand off him. "I see that you are as classy as always, Katherine."

"It's not my fault that your brother likes me when I'm dirty. Why don't you loosen up a little bit? I have the perfect girl for you. You prefer blondes, right?"

Stefan watched as she called over a blonde woman with bronze skin. She was wearing what could only be described as a t-shirt. However, he could admit that the woman was stunning.

"This is Damon's brother, Stefan. He's a bit of a stuff shirt but I am sure that you can bring him out of his shell."

The woman extended her hand to Stefan and smiled. In an accented voice, she said, "Hi. My name is, Noa. It's nice to meet you, Stefan."

Stefan shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, too. Noa is a very pretty name. Unfortunately, I won't be staying."

The other female guests quickly swarmed Alaric and Mason.

Katherine rolled her eyes and said, "Come on, Saint Stefan…live a little."

Stefan had never been fond of Katherine. He thought the woman brought out his brother's worst qualities. Moreover, she had come onto him numerous times when she first started seeing Damon. He had rejected every one of her advances much to Katherine's utter humiliation. "No, thank you."

He turned around and walked right back out of the house.

Alaric followed his nephew outside. "Where are you going?"

"I am going to check into a hotel for the night. This isn't the reason I came on this trip. Damon and I have already settled our differences. There is no good reason for me to stay here tonight," Stefan replied.

He said, "You can just crash in one of the bedrooms upstairs."

Stefan looked at his uncle seriously. "How do you look Abby in the eye knowing that Damon treats her daughter like shit? Because I have a difficult time being around Bonnie and pretending I don't know that my brother is a cheating asshole."

The older man frowned because of the direct nature of the question. Stefan didn't usually approach situations in that way. "It's not my place, or yours, to get involved in Damon's marriage."

He huffed out a laugh. "Look who I am asking. Of course, you don't see anything wrong with what Damon is doing. How many years have you been cheating on Jo with Abby?"

Stefan had only recently learned that Ric was the father of Abby's three younger children. He couldn't believe that his uncle had started another family while still married to Jo. Even Giuseppe hadn't been so careless or callous. However, infidelity was just sort of par for the course for Salvatore men. Stefan's grandfather had been an unrepentant philanderer that ended up fathering two illegitimate children: Alaric and Zacharias. However, there had been rumors of others.

"What the fuck is going on with you? First, you provoke Damon into fighting you. Are you trying to provoke me now?" Alaric asked.

"I am not trying to provoke you. I am really just trying to figure out how you hid an entire family for twelve years. What kind of person does that?"

He ground out, "My personal affairs aren't your concern."

Stefan asked, "I have three cousins that I didn't know about until last week. I've known these kids since they were born and never knew that I had a connection to them. In what world would that not be my business?"

"What do you want me to say, Stefan? I'm not perfect."

"None of us are. It's just sometimes I forget that you are my father's brother in every way."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ric's voice had dropped to a near growl.

He shook his head and walked toward the car. "Forget it."

Alaric grabbed his nephew's shoulder and turned him around. "Don't walk away from me when I am talking to you. What the hell was that little jab supposed to mean?"

Stefan stared at his uncle completely unafraid. "I've had this recurring nightmare for years. I just chalked it up to my fucked up childhood corrupting my dreams. I had it again while Caroline and I were in Paris with the kids. Only this time my mother was there when I was wide awake in the middle of the night and unable to fall asleep. She asked what was keeping me awake and for some reason…I told her about my nightmare. She called me Sunday morning and told me that my nightmare was real."

Ric slowly released Stefan's shoulder as an unsettling feeling washed over him. Something about the look in the younger man's eyes unnerved him. Moreover, he wasn't aware that his nephew still had nightmares. He thought that Stefan had grown out of those in his teens. Before then he used to climb into Damon's bed whenever he had a nightmare.

"What nightmare? What are you talking about?"

Stefan just stared at Alaric in silence for a moment. "This thing that has been haunting my dreams since I was a little kid is real. Mom thinks that since I was so young when it happened that my subconscious repressed what I saw."

"She is crazy, Stefan. That woman is certifiably crazy. You have to take anything Lilly says with a grain of salt."

He chuckled darkly. "Mom said that you would say that."

Zach walked out of the house and frowned at the tension between his older brother and nephew. "What's going on out here?"

Alaric slowly stepped away from Stefan. "I can say with complete certainty that I do not know."

Stefan smiled at Zach as if nothing were amiss. He said, "Nothing, Zio. I am just headed to a hotel for the night. Caroline was cool with the strip club but this is something different."

Ric gave his younger brother a pointed look.

"I think I will come with you. That party isn't exactly my scene either. Just let me run in the house to get my overnight bag," he said.

They had left the rest of their luggage on the jet since they would be leaving the next day.

Stefan nodded as he climbed into the car. "Okay."

Ric and Zach walked back into the house. They went to the guest room where Zach had put down his bag. "What the fuck did I just walk into?"

"I don't know. I thought that you said that he was okay," Ric said.

"He was when I talked to him yesterday morning. He was only trying to protect Tyler from Damon's mood swings. What beef does he have with you?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "He started going on about my affair with Abby. Then he started talking about some nightmares he had as a kid. He said that Lilly called yesterday to tell him the incident from his nightmare actually happened when he was younger. He's obviously accusing me of something but I genuinely don't know what he is talking about."

Zach frowned at his older brother. He said, "Damon is the one who always helped him through the nightmares. I don't know what they were about but I can ask Stefan."

"You need to figure out if he's cracking up before we take him to Milazzo."

Zach nodded. "I'm on it. You keep an eye on Damon. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid and keep him away from the coke."

Ric said, "I'll kick his ass to Milazzo if he even looks at it."

Zach chuckled and clapped his brother on the back. "I guess I'll see you in the morning."

Ric sat on the side of the bed as Zach left the room. He wondered what Lilly had put into the boy's head. She had been waiting years for an opportunity to turn Stefan against the family. Lilly had wanted to take Stefan when she left Giuseppe but he wouldn't allow it. Her contact with Stefan had been limited to phone calls and gifts until he turned 18-years-old. However, even then Stefan was too beholden to Giuseppe to visit Lilly. That changed a few weeks ago when he went to see his mother without telling anyone. Ric wondered if he should have examined his nephew's reasons for visiting Lilly more closely before now.

He took a deep breath and decided to put it out of his mind for now. Zach was more than capable of getting through to Stefan. While he wouldn't call it favoritism, Ric was closer to Damon than he was to Stefan. Meanwhile, Zach was closer to Stefan than he was to Damon. He wasn't sure if it was the age difference. Ric was nine years older than Damon compared to being 17 years older than Stefan was. He also had a similar temperament to Damon's while Zach and Stefan had always been more even-keeled.

Ric stood up and headed back out to the living room. He needed a drink and maybe a line or two of coke.

He rolled his eyes at seeing Katherine straddling Damon on the couch. The way the two of them were going at it they might as well have been screwing right there.

Ric plopped down at the other end of the sofa and pulled out his wallet. He took out a credit card and separated a small portion of the cocaine from the larger pile.

Damon pulled back from Katherine's reddened lips to look at his uncle. He lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Do as I say and not as I do," he muttered in response to the silent question. "Also, get a room. I'm not interested in watching you fuck her on the couch."

"What crawled up your ass?" Damon asked.

"Your little brother."

Damon chuckled. "I told you he's been a little asshole lately. What did he do now?"

"I don't know. Your crazy ass mother put some bullshit in his head."

Damon's amusement faded. "That bitch isn't my mother. What the fuck did she say to him?"

Katherine rolled her eyes. She grabbed Damon's face and ground against his erection enticingly. "Damon…"

"In a minute," he snapped.

Katherine knew when to shut her mouth. She huffed but remained silent.

"I don't know. He brought up some shit about a nightmare. He said Lilly told him it was real."

Damon's body tensed when Ric mentioned Stefan's recurring nightmare. He shoved at Katherine. "Move."

She balked at being treated so callously but quickly moved when she realized that Damon planned to stand whether she moved or not.

"Where is he, Zio?"

Ric said, "Zach left with him to go to a hotel for the night. Stefan didn't want to be around all of this anyway. Zach will figure out what's wrong with him. He always does."

Damon dug his phone from his pocket and called Stefan's phone. He scowled when the call went to voicemail. "He's ignoring my calls."

"You'll see him in the morning," Ric commented. He rolled up a twenty-dollar bill and snorted a line of coke.

Damon shook his head. He wanted to fly to Paris and choke the life out of Lilly for playing head games with Stefan. "You don't get it. I can't believe that crazy bitch would tell him that nightmare was real. I need to talk to Stefan."

Katherine pressed her lips together in annoyance as Damon walked out of the living room.

Ric chuckled at her expression and then tilted the makeshift straw in her direction.

The brunette glared at his apparent amusement with her predicament. However, she plucked the rolled bill from his fingers swiftly. She was going to need a little something extra if she was going to put up with the Salvatore family's bullshit. She snorted two lines of cocaine before returning the bill to him. "Thanks," she muttered.

Ric studied Katherine for a moment before he stood up and walked away. He already had one nephew hurling veiled accusations at him. He didn't need problems with Damon, too.

Katherine sat there sulking for a few minutes before grabbing a bottle of tequila and disappearing to the master bedroom. She stopped in the doorway when she heard Damon on the phone.

"Call me when you get this, Stefan," Damon demanded.

Katherine lightly knocked on the bedroom door. "Can I come in?"

He placed his phone on the nightstand as he looked up at her. He said, "Yeah. Close the door behind you."

Katherine closed the door and placed the bottle of tequila on a dresser. She was determined to get Damon's attention solely on her. Katherine unpinned her darks curls and allowed them to fall over her shoulders. She flashed a coquettish smile and asked, "Are you going to pay attention to me now? I thought you said that you missed me."

His cerulean eyes followed Katherine's every move. Damon chuckled lowly. "I did. Take off your clothes and I'll show you how much."

"Are you sure? Stefan might call you back," she replied in a petulant voice. "Besides, you've been very mean to me lately. You sent Enzo to threaten my life."

"You deserved it for bothering Bonnie with your bullshit. You are lucky that all I did was send him to warn you," the mobster replied in a serious tone. "Now take the dress off or I'll rip it off you," he ordered.

A delicious chill went up her spine at Damon's threat. She turned on some music and then slowly walked toward the bed. However, she stopped a few tantalizing feet away.

Damon licked his lips in anticipation. "I wasn't joking about ripping that dress off you."

Katherine pouted prettily at him as she slowly allowed the lace dress to slide down the length of her body. Once the material pooled at her feet, she said, "I'm sorry for what I did. I was just jealous. You haven't been spending very much time with me lately. I thought...maybe you were getting tired of me."

Damon watched the serpentine way her body moved to the music. "Never," was his simple reply.

She flashed a devious grin as she took off her bra and threw it at Damon's face. In a quiet voice, she suggested, "Maybe you want someone younger."

He easily caught the delicate scrap of material and tossed it aside. "You know that isn't true, Katherine."

She hooked her thumbs into the sides of her panties and slowly dragged them down her legs. Afterwards, the brown-eyed temptress looked at Damon from underneath her eyelashes as she slowly kneeled on the soft wool rug.

Damon's smile grew more lecherous.

Katherine crawled the short distance until she was kneeling between Damon's legs. She unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. Katherine asked, "Are you sure? Maybe you want someone younger and more wholesome like your pretty little _Bonnie_."

Damon's expression hardened at the mention of his wife. He grabbed her face in a vice like grip and practically snarled, "Maybe you should put your mouth to better use before you get yourself into trouble."

A mischievous glint shone in her dark eyes as she licked her lips. "Yes, sir."


	27. Tiny Hearts

**A/N: I was blown away by all the reviews for the last chapter. Thanks to everyone that left a review. I love hearing what everyone thinks of the story. I also want to thank everyone for sticking around for a story that is so incredibly angst-y. I promise there will be a pay off for your dedication. I can't believe that we have reached the 300 mark for reviews! You all are amazing.  
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Bonnie barely heard the rest of Dr. Huerta's pep talk. The pamphlets, prescriptions, and sonograms in her trembling hands had her full attention. She felt like a complete failure as a mother. Her one job was to give her babies a healthy place to grow for 40 weeks. Yet her pathetic need to be desirable to Damon meant that she had been underweight even before learning that she was pregnant. To make matters worse, her blood pressure was practically through the roof. Dr. Huerta had decided to prescribe a medication to help regulate her blood pressure. He promised Bonnie that the medication would be safe for her babies as long as she took the prescribed dosage.

The overarching theme of Bonnie's doctor visit was that she needed to take better care of herself. Dr. Huerta believed that reducing stress in her life should be at the very top of her to-do list. His recommendation just made Bonnie feel even guiltier. She had been livid that morning after learning that Damon had postponed his trip to Milazzo for an additional two days. Apparently, her loving husband wanted to spend more time with Katherine. The news from Mason had cut through her like a hot knife. He swore that Damon was delaying his trip to Milazzo because he was concerned about Stefan but she didn't believe him. She thought that he was trying to spare her feelings.

Bonnie was furious because she was bending over backwards to smooth Damon's path to becoming the head of the Salvatore organization. The previous night, she had practically begged Big John to back her husband over Giuseppe. It had been a hard sell considering Bonnie still refused to tell him about the attack. Nevertheless, Big John promised to support Damon's rise to power because Bonnie and her children would greatly benefit from that move. However, his support did not come without a price. He wanted to install several of their people in the U.S. side of the smuggling operation. Big John smelled the blood in the water and wanted to make sure Bonnie had adequate support for her next move.

Rationally, the young mother understood that Damon wasn't jeopardizing his trip by staying in Tenerife for a few days. He wasn't officially scheduled to meet with the capos until Friday. He would be hosting a big dinner at the Salvatore compound in Milazzo. Damon planned to meet not only the captains but also their sons and in some cases grandsons. He wanted to ingratiate himself to the future generations that would serve the Salvatore organization. Bonnie admired the brilliance of Damon's plan. His first few days in Milazzo were supposed to be spent meeting with the Salvatores that never immigrated to the United States. Instead, he chose to fly them to Tenerife for a few days. Having the capos on his side was all well and good but Damon needed his blood to side with him as well.

The gray-haired physician said, "I know that this may all sound discouraging but I still believe that you can have a healthy pregnancy. You will just have to put in more effort than some other expectant mothers do. However, I think that we have a solid plan going forward."

Bonnie nodded numbly and slipped everything she had been given into her designer handbag. She shook his hand as she stood up. "Thank you for your help, Dr. Huerta."

He placed a comforting hand on Bonnie's shoulder. He said, "You are welcome, Bonnie. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me."

She gave a distracted nod. "I will. Have a good day, Dr. Huerta."

The doctor walked with Bonnie out of his office. "I will see you back here in two weeks."

Tyler shot out of his chair as soon as Bonnie walked into the waiting room. He had been sitting anxiously because her appointment had lasted an hour longer than it should have. His chest tightened at the haunted expression on her face. His first instinct was to pull Bonnie into his arms. However, he couldn't do that in such a public place.

Instead, he put on a stoic expression and met her in the middle of the waiting room. The two friends walked to the elevator and took it to the ground floor of the massive medical complex.

"Do you want to wait here while I go get the car?"

She shook her head and put on her sunglasses. "I'm fine to walk. The cool air actually feels nice."

Tyler and Bonnie walked across the street to the parking garage. He stayed quiet until they made it to the car. He opened Bonnie's door and asked, "Where would you like to go next?"

She climbed into the back of the car and placed her purse on the other seat. "We need to stop by the pharmacy to drop off my prescriptions. Then I'd like to go to the beach house for a little while."

To the outside listener the conversation would sound innocent. However, Tyler understood that Bonnie wanted some time alone with him. He nodded and said, "Okay. What pharmacy would you like to use today?"

"There is a pharmacy near the beach house. I have used it in the past. I think it is on Golden Valley," she explained.

"I'll find it," he replied. Tyler closed her door and then climbed into the car. He searched for the pharmacy's address on his phone before he started the engine. "Would you like to stop somewhere for lunch, too?"

Bonnie shook her head. She didn't have the energy to keep up her façade in public. The girl just wanted to be alone with her best friend for a bit. She smiled tiredly. "I was thinking that we might just get something delivered for lunch."

Tyler nodded as he pulled out of the parking space. "Sounds like a plan to me."

She smiled at him in the rearview mirror and then tried to relax. Getting worked up was the opposite of what she needed right now. Bonnie took out of the nutrition plan she had been given and began to read it. She had only skimmed the information while sitting in Dr. Huerta's office.

Bonnie knew that the right thing to do would be to call her husband. It would be 9 o'clock local time in Tenerife. However, she just couldn't bring herself to pretend right now. She didn't feel like being an actress for his benefit. She was a 21-year-old young woman terrified that her body couldn't support the two little lives in her womb. Bonnie couldn't guarantee that she would not curse out Damon if they spoke now. More than exposing her knowledge of his current location, it would also make her blood pressure rise. Frankly, Damon and his whore weren't worth the lives of her babies. Nothing, not even the family business, was more important than her children were.

At a traffic light, Tyler asked, "Do you want to listen to some music?"

She smiled softly and said, "That would be nice, Ty."

He fiddled with his phone while the light was red.

Bonnie huffed out a startled laugh when she heard Beyonce reciting poetry over the car's speakers. "Seriously?"

Tyler smiled sheepishly as the light turned green. "In my defense, I bought the album when Nikki stayed the weekend with my parents. She is a card-carrying member of the Beyhive. Anyway, _Lemonade_ is actually a pretty good album."

Nikki was Mason and Vicki's oldest daughter. She was 13-years-old and so much like her mother that the two fought constantly. She frequently stayed the weekend with Richard and Carol. They were like her de facto grandparents because of the age difference between the two brothers. Tyler usually ended up staying at his parents' house to keep Nikki occupied.

Bonnie laughed softly as she rested her hands on her stomach. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

Periodically, he glanced in the rearview mirror to check on Bonnie. He hated feeling as if he were unable to help her. He had been tempted to take her to the hospital last night. Matt had called him shortly after midnight to say that Bonnie had fainted. It had taken every shred of his willpower not to rush over to the Salvatore Manor.

Bonnie had refused to go to the hospital since she had an appointment with Dr. Huerta later in the day. Moreover, Meredith had given the all clear. She believed that Bonnie's fainting spell was caused by dehydration.

Tyler pulled into a parking space at the pharmacy. He lowered the volume of the music and looked over the seat. "Bonnie, we're here."

She pried open her eyes and stifled a yawn. Bonnie dug through her purse and pulled out the four prescriptions and her insurance card. "They should have all of my information on file here but take this just in case."

"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes," he said.

Once Bonnie was alone, she picked up her phone. She typed out a quick message to Lucy asking her to meet them at the beach house. Bonnie had come to a decision on how to handle Damon and Katherine. She would need her older cousin's help to get everything done.

Tyler returned a few minutes later and climbed into the car. He returned Bonnie's insurance card and said, "Your prescriptions will be ready in two hours. We can pick them up when we're on our way back to the manor."

She nodded. "Thanks."

The drive to the beach house was quick since the pharmacy was in the neighborhood. He parked the car in the driveway when they arrived.

He asked, "Any idea what you want to order for lunch?"

Bonnie picked up her purse as she got out of the SUV. She said, "I could really go for a grilled chicken salad and maybe some type of soup."

Tyler considered the local options as he followed her up to the door. He knew the delivery options out there better than Bonnie did. His parents' house was ten minutes away. "I know a place that has a great Italian wedding soup. That's still your favorite, right?"

Her expression brightened. "That sounds so good right now. I think I might want to order two of those with my salad. Oh, and I want Thousand Island dressing and Romano if they have it."

"I'll take care of ordering lunch. Do you want anything else?"

She unlocked the front door and let them into the house. Bonnie stopped by the security panel and entered her code. "No, the salad and soup should be fine. Order something for Lucy, too. I sent her a text while you were inside the pharmacy. She will be here in a bit."

Tyler pulled up the app on his phone and ordered lunch for the three of them. He locked the front door and followed Bonnie into the living room.

She kicked off her shoes and plopped down on the soft couch.

He put away his phone and said, "Lunch will be here in about 35 minutes."

"That's good because I am starving. I didn't eat very much for breakfast."

Tyler had noticed that but didn't say anything. That morning he could tell that she had been throwing up again. He sat on the couch and pulled Bonnie's feet into his lap. "Are you going to tell me how your appointment went?"

She smiled a little as Tyler began massaging her sore feet. "Do you want the good news or the bad news?"

He said, "Give me the bad news first."

"My blood pressure is elevated. It is high enough that Dr. Huerta prescribed a blood pressure medicine for me. He thinks the spike in my blood pressure along with mild dehydration is what caused me to faint last night. He is also worried because I only put on two pounds in my first trimester. He prescribed something for the nausea and green lit the nutritional shakes that your mom recommended to me. He had me meet with the on-site nutritionist, too. She gave me a list of do's and don'ts to help manage the high blood pressure and to help with the weight gain. I have to go back in two weeks so that Dr. Huerta can check my progress."

Tyler had been expecting everything but the high blood pressure. His hands stopped massaging Bonnie's feet and he slid closer to her on the couch. He pulled Bonnie into a fierce hug. "Fuck, Bon. Is there anything that I can do?"

"You are already doing so much for me. Just being here for me means everything, Ty," she whispered. She didn't want cry but could feel the tears forming in her eyes.

He promised, "You couldn't get rid of me if you tried. I'm here whenever and however you need me."

She sniffled softly and burrowed deeper into his warm embrace.

Tyler held his friend in silence. He was in no rush to let her go. He kissed the top of her head and asked, "What was the good news?"

"The babies are healthy despite everything going on with me. I'm doing just enough to keep them healthy for now. Dr. Huerta was also able to get really good pictures of the babies today. Do you want to see them?"

"Of course, I do. Let's see em," he said.

Bonnie pulled back from the hug reluctantly and reached into her purse. She pulled out the sonograms and passed them to Tyler. Then she watched his face as he scrutinized the pictures.

He smiled as he looked at the pictures. He couldn't believe that Bonnie was far enough along for the twins to look like actual babies but she was. "Wow. They are amazing, Bon."

"They are amazing and I've got to protect them, Ty."

Tyler looked up when he heard her voice crack. He cupped her cheek. "Protect them from what, Bon?"

"I have to protect them and Sarah from all the shit that left me this broken."

"You are not broken," he swore.

She shook her head as tears slipped down her cheeks. "But I am. You don't know. You don't know what I did."

Tyler put the sonograms on the coffee table and turned to face Bonnie. He took both of her delicate hands into his and said, "You know that you can tell me anything. I always have your back. We will figure it out together."

Bonnie tore her eyes away from Tyler's because his deep concern was too much to bear. She looked down at their hands. "It's my fault that I'm not gaining enough weight."

"You can't help that you are nauseous all the time, Bonnie."

"No. You have to listen to me. Please...don't interrupt because I will just chicken out of telling you the truth."

He kissed both of her hands and said, "Okay. Go ahead."

"I was underweight before I was pregnant. I wasn't just underweight. I was 10 pounds lighter than I should be for my height. During the summer, I started dieting and exercising." She shook her head as more tears fell. "No, that's not the truth. I cut back to eating one meal a day and drinking a protein shake for breakfast. Then I started doing Crossfit. The pounds came off so quickly. I thought that if I were thinner that Damon would be attracted to me. It was so stupid and I stopped as soon as I suspected that I might be pregnant. What if I can't carry this pregnancy full term? I was so pathetic that I tried to starve myself to get Damon's attention. That won't be his fault. It will be all on me and my stupidity."

Tyler tried not to tense because all he could think about was killing Damon slowly. He kissed Bonnie's hands again. "You are not stupid or pathetic. You made a mistake but you can turn this around. If Dr. Huerta really thought you were in danger of losing the babies, he would have admitted you into the hospital. In the hospital, they would have been able to give you a feeding tube and an IV to pump you full of fluids and nutrients."

Bonnie blinked back the tears and looked at him with a puzzled expression. "How do you know that?"

He cleared his throat. "I might have called my cousin in the middle of the night to ask him a few questions. He is a doctor. I needed him to stop me from throwing you over my shoulder and taking you to the hospital."

She huffed out a shocked laugh. Bonnie sniffled. "Well, he's not wrong. Dr. Huerta told me that I would have to be admitted into hospital if the anti-nausea medication doesn't help me."

"I guess Cole really is a doctor," Tyler teased.

"I can't believe anyone actually let Cole become a doctor. He was always such an idiot."

He smirked. "Oh, he's still an idiot. He is just a well-paid idiot now. He's raking in the money as a concierge doctor."

Bonnie asked, "Can I get his number from you?"

"Yeah. I will text it to you. Are you looking for a new doctor?" he asked. Tyler picked up his phone and sent Bonnie his cousin's number.

"Maybe. I just want to explore all of my options. I won't see Dr. Huerta again for two weeks. I would really like someone on-call whenever I need them."

He nodded. "Like when you fainted last night."

Bonnie said, "Yes. I also want someone that I am paying. The Salvatores have a private physician on the payroll but he answers to them. I think it's time to put some distance between myself and the Salvatores. I have to think of my children now. All three of them need me to be my very best. Our world is about to get very dangerous."

He gently smoothed a curl behind Bonnie's ear. "You are going to be okay—all four of you. I'm here for whatever you need."

He hoped that if he reassured Bonnie enough that she would believe him. He knew how difficult it was for her to trust people. Everyone that was supposed to love her had hurt or abandoned her. Even Miss Sheila had sold her off like chattel. He knew that she was just waiting for the other shoe to drop with him.

Bonnie looked into Tyler's eyes and asked, "What if what I need is you?"

"You have always had me, Bon. That will never change," he promised.

The girl squeezed her best friend's hand and said, "I hope you mean that because I have had an epiphany today."

He raised an eyebrow. "I mean it. What sort of epiphany did you have?"

"I think it is high time that I stop behaving as if I am a lovesick teenager. Damon married me because of a business arrangement struck between our families. The possibility of him falling in love with me was more of a bonus, not a guarantee. We have been married for four years. If he is not in love with me now, it is safe to assume that it will never happen."

Tyler felt conflicted after Bonnie's confession. He didn't like that she was hurting because of Damon. However, he was also glad that Bonnie had finally tired of his bullshit. She deserved better than the likes of Damon Salvatore and his equally shitty family. However, he wondered what had inspired this epiphany in Bonnie. If resounding proof of Damon's infidelity were all it took then Bonnie would have stopped trying to gain his affection years ago. It was open knowledge within the family that he hadn't been faithful to her during the entirety of their marriage.

He cleared his throat. "Can I ask what brought on this change of course?"

Bonnie looked down at her horribly expensive wedding ring and smiled wryly. "I am turning into a person that I don't recognize, Ty. I spent the better part of my doctor's appointment plotting how to kill Katherine in the most brutal and inhumane ways possible. I thought of butchering this woman and sending Damon little pieces of her body until he had a life-sized Katherine puzzle to put back together. I don't just want her dead. I want Damon to suffer, too. I want him in prison for a murder that he didn't commit because only then will he truly understand what the fuck he has done to me."

Tyler chuckled quietly because that was a seriously fucked up revenge fantasy even for someone in his line of work. It was most certainly in line with some of Brady's more horrific kills. However, Tyler understood that everyone had a breaking point and Bonnie had reached hers.

She continued, "This is how warped I have become while being married to Damon. I considered torturing and killing a woman whose only crime is screwing my whorish husband. Then I realized that Damon would simply move on to the next warm body. Am I supposed to kill every woman that he decides to screw? Everything I feel for him is too intense. I love him as deeply as I hate him now. I want to rip his heart out the way that he rips mine out every single day. Unfortunately, I can't hurt him that way because I don't mean that much to him. Instead, I imagine of all the ways I could physically hurt him and he lies next to me none the wiser. It's sick and I don't want to be that person. As Lucy would say, I have reached the rat poison phase of my marriage."

Tyler asked, "What?"

"You know that my mother tried to kill my father by lacing his food with rat poison."

He nodded. "Yes, I have heard the story."

Bonnie said, "It is better if I put space between myself and Damon before I lose control in that way. I'm too stressed and it is hurting my babies. I don't know what I would do to him if I miscarried."

Every bone in Tyler's body said that Bonnie knew exactly what she would do and it would be hell to clean up. He cupped her cheek and said, "It won't come to that. What can I do to help you?"

Relief rippled through the young woman's body. She had been expecting shock or recrimination from Tyler. However, he had once again proven that he was always on Bonnie's side. She needed that more than anything else now. "I need you to pack a bag. We'll be making a trip to Tenerife just as soon as Damon is safely in Milazzo."

"Should I be calling Uncle Brady to join us on this trip? He's the best at corpse disposal."

She smiled a little. "No, that won't be necessary. I am not going there to kill Katherine. I just think it is time that the two of us have a chat...woman to woman. We need to establish some ground rules on how things will work from now on. She might not fear Damon but she had better fear me."

Tyler almost felt bad for Damon because Bonnie was about to rain hellfire onto his life. Then he remembered that his best friend was literally sick because of Damon's bullshit and that sympathy quickly evaporated.

"The bottom line is I am going to separate from Damon. I can't do it legally without the press catching wind of it but I am going to make him understand the situation. I know that's not the same thing as leaving him, but I can't go on like this."

He said, "I am proud of you for putting yourself first, Bon."

"Really? You aren't upset that I am not divorcing him?" she asked.

Tyler shook his head. "Why would I be upset?"

She said, "Because if I am still married to Damon then we can't be together openly."

"If we are being honest, I wouldn't be able to be with you publicly even if you did divorce him. Damon doesn't seem like the type to accept his ex-wife moving on with one of his underlings. We would have to hide our relationship whether you are married to him or not."

Her green eyes brightened. "Then you still want me?"

Tyler gently took Bonnie's face in his hands and kissed her tenderly.

Bonnie didn't pull away until she was breathless. "You didn't answer my question."

"I have wanted you since we were teenagers, Bon. I tried to get you out of my system but I couldn't. I know that I am not out of yours either. The night you turned up on my doorstep bruised and battered made me realize that I could have lost you. I could have lost you without ever really having you. I could have married Elena years ago. You are the reason I could never go through with it. I knew deep in my heart that I would always love you more. That's not the way to build a life with someone."

Bonnie's eyes darkened with lust as she grabbed onto the lapels of Tyler's shirt. She pulled him into a crushing kiss as she leaned back against the couch's arm.

Tyler moved more fully onto the couch and settled his weight between Bonnie's outstretched legs. A little voice in the back of his head whispered that he fit perfectly because she was made for him. Everyone else was just too stupid to see that. He devoured Bonnie's lips with the hunger of a starving man.

It felt as if all of Bonnie's senses were tingling. The young woman was consumed by the feeling of his hard body pressed against hers. The smell of his Tom Ford cologne and the cigarette smoke he was so desperately trying to mask intoxicated her. Bonnie could practically taste the whiskey from his flask on his tongue.

Tyler broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers as he tried to catch his breath. "Fuck," he muttered in exasperation.

Bonnie rolled her hips forward teasingly. A thrill went up her spine when his eyes sprang open. Desire clouded the dark brown eyes that she knew so well. However, she also saw the warning in those eyes.

Tyler shuddered as his hands moved up to Bonnie's hips to stop her from moving again. "If you keep that up, you're going to make me cum in my pants like a teenager."

"It wouldn't be the first time," she replied breathlessly.

He smirked. "The last time that happened, I was actually a teenager."

Bonnie laughed softly. It was so lighthearted and genuine that she almost wondered if it had come from her. She stared up at Tyler in silence. She didn't know how to put what she was feeling into words. It was as if a weight had been lifted off Bonnie's shoulders now that she had made a decision.

The doorbell interrupted their heated staring contest.

Tyler groaned and pecked her lips softly before getting up. "That'll be our lunch."

She rolled her eyes as she sat up on the couch. "This has to be the first time in history that a delivery service actually arrived on time."

He chuckled and smoothed down his clothes. He couldn't go to the door looking rumpled. Rumors had been started with less incriminating circumstances. "You need to eat…"

"I know." Bonnie stood up. "I am going to pop upstairs to freshen up."

Tyler watched Bonnie head upstairs. He took a deep breath and decided that he was in trouble. However, it was trouble that he had been waiting a very long time to have.


	28. En PointeOn Point

After such a difficult day, all Bonnie really wanted to do was crawl into her bed and sleep. However, she had promised to take Sarah to her first ballet class. The little girl was so excited and had been talking about it non-stop since Sunday night. Yesterday, she had even taken the tiny dancer shopping for all the dancing essentials. Sarah now had several leotards, tights, leggings, tracksuits, tutus, and ballet slippers. There was no way that Bonnie could disappoint her sweet angel by rescheduling for another day. Therefore, she took a three-hour nap at the beach house before going home to pick up Sarah.

Madame Clarice's studio featured four massive rooms where the classes took place. Each room boasted ceiling to floor tinted windows so that parents could watch the classes without distracting the students. The waiting area was equipped with comfortable seating and a smoothie/juice bar. Everything about the studio was meant to appeal to an insanely wealthy clientele. Caroline stood close to the glass so that she could record part of the class for Stefan. Bella, Sarah, and Nico all seemed to be having a great time. Nico was probably the best dancer out of the three thus far. However, the twins and their cousin were competitive so it was amusing to see them try to outdo each other.

Bonnie watched with a bright smile on her face as Sarah practiced with the other children in the beginners' class. The girl's raven eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she tried to replicate what the instructor was doing. Bonnie thought that Sarah looked so much like Stefan with such a serious expression on her young face. She was such a bubbly little girl that her moments of seriousness were a striking contrast. However, Bonnie could tell how important this was to her daughter. She couldn't help but feel a little pride that Sarah was following in her footsteps by taking ballet. She hoped that it was something that they would be able to share for years to come.

A mutual love of dance was one of the few things that Bonnie had in common with her own mother. As a child, Bonnie would show Abby videos of her dance recitals whenever she visited. Her mother would offer praise and correction that the little girl soaked up like a sponge. She even had a collection of programs for the ballets performed by Abby's former ballet company. There was a time when Bonnie had dreamed of becoming a professional dancer as her mother had. However, Sheila's cancer diagnosis had ground those dreams into dust. Sheila allowed her granddaughter to perform in Swan Lake before she married Damon. Abby had actually showed up to watch her oldest child perform the role of Odette in the ballet. It was perhaps the happiest night of her life.

Abby sat beside her daughter while they watched the children dance. "She looks like a little doll out there. I can't wait until Savannah is old enough to start taking ballet lessons. I have thought about signing her up for tumbling classes. I did that with you when you were Savannah's age."

She smiled wistfully. "I know. Grams saved some of the videos for me. She would dig them out every once in awhile when I really needed it. You should do those tumbling classes with Savannah. You have the time with the boys being in school now."

The older woman didn't miss the tinge of bitterness in her daughter's voice. Their relationship was improving but there was still two decades of trauma that would probably never heal. "I just might."

"Any leads on work?" Bonnie asked.

Abby struggled to be a mother but she was a top-notch dancer and choreographer. For years, she had traveled the world as part of a renowned ballet company. She left the ballet company about nine years ago and focused on being a choreographer. She began touring with various recording artists and quickly made a name for herself in the industry. Abby's last pregnancy forced her to put her career on the backburner for awhile. She experienced a number of complications while carrying Savannah due to being in her late 30's at the time. Alaric wanted Abby's 'break' to be permanent. However, she was concerned that her life would turn into a type of prison without work as an outlet.

"Actually, I had a working lunch this afternoon with Ignacio and a pretty big name recording artist. I thought it was just an informal meeting. But he ended up offering me the job on the spot. He is going to be shooting a pair of videos in Southern California in late January. He wants me to do the choreography for both videos. The artist is giving me a week to get back to him with an answer."

Bonnie smiled. "That is great news. Why don't you look happier about it?"

"I just don't know if Alaric will be okay with me taking the job. He has made it clear that he would prefer for me to do this."

"Do what?" she asked in confusion.

Abby explained, "He wants me to open my own dance studio. However, it isn't as if he is particularly interested in my happiness. He just wants something to tether me to Southern California. It was easier when I didn't need to consult another person about my job prospects. I am trying to make it work this time around for the sake of your siblings. I am trying to be a better mother but it doesn't come naturally to me. If you can believe it, I am much better at being a mother than I am at being a wife or girlfriend," she said honestly.

The girl looked at her mother with genuine sympathy. She knew from personal experience how difficult it was pretending to be something you weren't on a daily basis. It was a tiresome farce but the alternative was showing your true self and risking rejection. She knew with certainty that Damon would never accept her true self. He wanted a naïve doe-eyed girl that swooned under his gaze. Damon would never be able to handle the fact that he had married a killer and that she was a better strategist than he was.

"For what it's worth, I think you are doing a good job with them. You are there every day. I would have given anything for that when I was a kid."

"I'm sorry," she said earnestly.

Bonnie shook her head. "I wasn't trying to make you feel bad, Mom. I was just saying that you shouldn't be too hard on yourself. Your constant presence in their lives means more than you know."

It was hard for Abby to look at the emotional scars that she had left behind on her daughter. She couldn't help but think that Bonnie's obsession with Damon stemmed from her abandonment as a child. She had latched onto the raven-haired boy at a young age and never let go. Sheila certainly had not dissuaded the infatuation because she had planned for this merging of the families.

"What about you? You are going to be graduating from college in May. Are you going to join the workforce?"

"I hope so. I have been thinking that I might take a position at Velocita. On the other hand, I have been thinking about getting my MBA, too. I might actually be able to attend school on campus like a traditional student would."

Abby understood that Bonnie meant that it wouldn't be a fight once Giuseppe was dead. She was proud of how determined her daughter was to carve out a life for herself despite the hand she had been dealt.

"Both are great options. Have you thought about taking a part-time position while working on your MBA? Maybe you could work under Zacharias. He is very good at his job. You know he helped smooth all the wrinkles when BTS and Velocita merged."

She smiled, "Well, I will be working under his direction during my internship. I want to see what sort of boss he is before thinking about a more permanent position under his purview. In the meantime, I managed to submit all of my applications to the MBA programs before their respective deadlines."

"To how many programs did you apply?" she asked curiously as she took a sip of her smoothie.

She said, "Three. I decided to keep my options open. All three programs admit very few candidates each year. There's a chance that I might get waitlisted because they value business experience."

Abby lifted an eyebrow. "I doubt that will happen. Your grades and GMAT score are impeccable. You will have completed an internship at a Fortune 500 company. And let's be honest, your last name will edge out some of the competition."

"You have a point. I guess that I just wanted to be admitted to the MBA program on my own merits. You know?"

The older woman squeezed her hand. "It doesn't matter how you get in, it only matters what you do once you are there. I have no doubt that you will prove yourself worthy of admission once you are through the door. You are so driven. Do you know how many people in your position would be content to rest on their laurels? Your grams would be proud of you….for many reasons. You are the very best this family has to offer and don't you ever forget it."

Bonnie was taken aback by her mother's strong defense of her capabilities. She smiled. "Thank you for saying that, Mom."

"It's the truth," she replied.

Bonnie went back to watching the ballet class. However, a few minutes later a wave of nausea washed over her. She stood and said, "I'll be right back."

She swiftly walked to the restroom without drawing too much attention. She made it into a stall just as the floodgates opened. Bonnie was seriously regretting the decision to eat half of Tyler's turkey club after waking up from her nap. However, she had been so hungry at the time and the bacon on the sandwich had smelled delicious.

She silently cursed morning sickness as she finished emptying the contents of her stomach. Bonnie flushed the toilet and then walked over to the sink. She washed her hands and then retrieved a travel-sized bottle of mouthwash from her purse. The young mother was glad that she came prepared. She rinsed her mouth and then gargled with mouthwash. She could only hope that the anti-nausea medication would work once she started taking it.

Bonnie took a deep breath and prepared to leave the restroom when her phone vibrated inside her purse. She pulled out the phone and realized that it was her burner. She looked at the coded text message from Brady and smiled. He had found a way to end John Gilbert quietly. The better news was that he could accomplish it before Christmas. They needed to meet up tomorrow for him to relay the details.

She tapped out a quick reply and then walked out of the restroom. Bonnie's steps slowed to a stop when she saw Niklaus approaching her. She could hear Dr. Huerta's voice warning her about unnecessary stress in her life. The last thing she needed was to get into a fight with Klaus right now. He seemed reasonable when they last spoke but Bonnie knew well his unpredictable mood swings. The green-eyed girl quickly turned around and walked back toward the bathroom. She would just wait him out for a few minutes. If necessary, she could call her mother to run interference for her.

Klaus quickened his steps to catch up with Bonnie before she entered the bathroom. He said, "I promise that I am not stalking you, love. This is just a happy coincidence."

She spun around and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Then why are you here? You are a little old for a children's ballet class, Niklaus. Or has your preference in victims skewed younger?"

Niklaus despised the hateful glare directed at him. He wanted nothing more than to kiss the ugly sneer from her beautiful face. Despite his actions, he truly loved Bonnie. He still didn't understand how he could have misread their relationship so egregiously. Had he truly been so blind to her fear of him? Perhaps he had been too impaired to notice or care about her feelings. That fateful summer he had spent the majority of his time using alcohol, prescription pills, and cocaine to numb his pain. Now Niklaus had learned that he had only heaped his pain onto another.

"I assure you that I have not suddenly turned into a pedophile. My rather demanding niece is in Madame Clarice's next class. Hope insisted that I watch her rehearse for the _Nutcracker_. I could hardly argue when she reminded me that I have missed several years of birthday and Christmas celebrations. I even missed her confirmation earlier this year."

Bonnie felt foolish for accusing Klaus of stalking her. She knew that Hope and Helena were both Madame Clarice's students. Hayley was the one that recommended this dance studio to Bonnie.

She nodded and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. It is good that you are spending time with Hope."

"There is no need to apologize. I understand why you would be wary of my sudden appearance after all that has transpired between us." He paused for a beat and then asked, "You are here for your little girl. Sarah?"

This civil version of Niklaus knocked Bonnie off-kilter. She felt uneasy not knowing what to expect from this man. She knew from experience how quickly Klaus could vacillate between conciliatory and violent. However, she was willing to feign civility in order to avoid antagonizing him. She had her switchblade close at hand but slicing Niklaus open in a dance studio was hardly a favorable solution.

She smiled a little. "Yes, she has been asking me about ballet for awhile. I thought I might bring her to the beginner's class to see if she truly likes it."

Niklaus was pleased that Bonnie seemed willing to continue the conversation. "She wants to be a ballerina like her mother?" he asked.

Bonnie shook her head. "I was hardly a ballerina."

"Oh, that's not true at all. I remember Giuseppe speaking highly of your prowess. He is not a man known to be careless with praise," he replied.

"It feels like a lifetime ago now," she said with a wistful tone of voice.

He asked, "Do you miss it?"

Bonnie's green eyes bored into him for a moment. At first, she thought that he was taunting her. However, she realized that his question was an honest inquiry. She evaded, "I miss many things, but life means embracing change."

"Perhaps that is true, but relinquishing one's passion is not so easy. I might have gone mad in prison if I were not afforded the opportunity to continue drawing."

"I am glad that you were able to keep drawing. I have always liked your work."

He was mildly surprised by Bonnie's compliment. "Thank you."

"I should get back out there. My mother will come looking for me if I am gone for much longer," she said.

His voice dropped an octave as he said, "Before you go, there is something that I wanted to give you, petal."

She tensed when Niklaus called her 'petal'. She hated that stupid pet name with a burning passion. Bonnie cleared her throat. "You said that this meeting was merely a happy coincidence."

"That might not have been exactly true. Hope did insist that I watch her rehearse. I find myself unable to deny her anything," he replied. He showed her his painted blue fingernails.

Bonnie eyed his fingernails. "Nice color."

"I overheard Hayley telling Rebekah that you would be here today with your daughter." He held up a leather portfolio and said, "I brought this along on the off chance that I would see you."

"I don't want anything from you, Niklaus. I just want you to leave me alone," she said.

Klaus didn't know how to begin making amends for what he did to Bonnie. He wasn't even sure if that was possible. However, he had to start somewhere. He couldn't allow Bonnie to continue thinking that he had been playing some sort of sick game with her. The sad truth was that Bonnie's sadness had drawn him in like a moth to a flame. She used to don a mask around her family and friends but he saw through it. Klaus had realized that Bonnie was just as lonely and forgotten as he was. After watching her Saturday, Klaus knew that not much had changed for the girl. She was still as miserable as she was five years ago. Perhaps the only difference was that she was even more alone now that Sheila had died.

Klaus stepped forward to stop Bonnie from walking away but rocked back onto his heels when she shied away from his touch. He said, "I have been trying to work my way up to apologizing to you…for everything. I know that I am doing a poor job of it. I don't even know where to begin."

The young woman felt rooted to that spot despite wanting to get as far away from Niklaus as possible. She didn't want another of his half-assed apologies. However, he seemed to be genuinely contrite. Bonnie didn't know what to do with this unexpected turn of events.

"I know that you asked me to leave you alone and I will after this. You will never have to see my face again if that is what you truly want. I never meant to hurt you, Bonnie. I thought…" He ran a hand over his curly hair. He said, "It doesn't matter what I thought. What matters is that I hurt you more than once and in ways that are unforgivable. I am sorry. I would do anything to make it up to you, but only if you decide to give me a chance. I want you to have this," he said. He handed Bonnie the leather portfolio.

Bonnie looked down at the portfolio and then looked up into Klaus's blue eyes. She noted that he looked so sincere. It was so unlike the crazed individual that cornered her Saturday night. Bonnie knew that she didn't owe him anything. However, she would take the portfolio if Niklaus truly meant to leave her alone. It seemed a simple price to pay. She opened the leather cover and smiled involuntarily at a hand drawn portrait of herself. Bonnie realized that there were perhaps a dozen drawings tucked into the portfolio along with several pages of a handwritten letter.

"This is beautiful, Niklaus. I think that you captured me perfectly, it looks as if I modeled for you."

"In a way you did…you were constantly on my mind while I was in prison," he confessed.

Bonnie said, "Nik…"

He shook his head and stepped out of the way so that she could pass. "I am not asking you for anything, Bonnie. I know that I do not have that right. I just…can't bear the thought of you believing that I am a monster. I never meant to hurt you. I am sorry that I did."

Bonnie quickly walked around him and nearly froze when she saw Lucy at the end of the corridor. She shook off the surprise and continued walking forward. "Has class ended?"

"It just ended." Lucy turned to walk with Bonnie. She whispered, "What were you and Klaus talking about, Bonnie? It looked serious."

"I don't know what you are talking about, Lucy. I was just talking to Niklaus about his niece's upcoming performance. Hope is going to be a sugarplum fairy in this year's production of the _Nutcracker,"_ she lied easily _._

Lucy stared after her cousin in disbelief. She said, "Don't lie to me, girl. You know damn well that isn't what I just saw."

Bonnie turned and glared at Lucy. "Lower your voice and mind your own damn business, Lucy Marie. See I can put bass in my voice, too."

She stopped walking as her jaw dropped. Bonnie had never spoken to her that way. However, she was more worried about her cousin than she was offended by what she said. Lucy was hoping that Niklaus hadn't set his sights on her little cousin. Nothing good could come from an entanglement with a Mikaelson.

Bonnie walked to where Sarah was animatedly chatting with Abby. She smiled and said, "You were great, bambolina. Did you have fun?"

Sarah whirled around and hugged Bonnie's waist. "I had so much fun, Mama. Can we come back tomorrow?"

Bonnie's smiled brightened when she heard Sarah's enthusiasm. "Well, the class for your age doesn't meet again until next week. But we can come here next week if that's what you want."

She nodded excitedly and said, "I want Papa to come with us next time."

"Oh, I'm sorry, bambolina. I don't know if Papa will be back from his trip yet. We should send him the video that I recorded of you today. I bet that he will like it so much that he'll call us when he has time."

Sarah's excitement dimmed a little but she nodded. "Okay."

Bonnie hated seeing the sad expression on her daughter's face. She decided to distract Sarah from thinking about her father. She asked, "Do you know what we're doing tonight after dinner?"

She shook her head. "What?"

"We're decorating the Christmas tree."

Sarah's eyes grew as big as saucers. "Really?"

Bonnie nodded. "We are going to decorate the Christmas tree while drinking hot cocoa and eating double chocolate chip cookies. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"I'm gonna go tell Bella and Nico," she exclaimed and took off across the room. The twins were near Caroline who happened to be talking to Hayley and Rebekah.

Abby smiled at Bonnie. "You really made her day by bringing her here, Bonnie. You know I wouldn't mind working with her tomorrow if she really wants to learn more."

Bonnie was taken aback by her mother's offer. "Really?"

"Well, it would be a shame not to share my years of expertise with my granddaughter."

Bonnie thought her heart might burst from happiness. It was a small gesture for some but it was monumental when considering her relationship with Abby. "I'd like that, Mama. I bet Sarah would, too."

Abby looked up and noticed Niklaus staring in their direction. She glared at him until he had the good sense to look away. "We should go. I promised Seline that I wouldn't be late getting home. She has a date later tonight."

Bonnie said, "Okay. I am going to get Sarah and then we'll drop you off at home."

"I will meet you outside, sweetheart." Abby walked out to the parking lot.

The non-verbal exchange between Abby and Klaus didn't go unnoticed by Lucy. She silently cursed in her head and vowed to get to the bottom of this before it became a problem. Lucy followed Abby outside.

She asked, "Do you mind if I come back to your place, Abby? I was hoping to raid your closet. I am going to dinner with Brady tonight. He's taking me somewhere swanky and I didn't exactly pack anything that fits the bill."

"You know that you are always welcome at my place, Lucy. You can have at whatever you find in my closet. I am sure you will find something to wear. I see that you and Brady haven't killed each other yet."

Lucy laughed and said, "Not yet..."

Abby said, "Not bad. You should have seen Dickie when he was younger. The man was solid muscle and loved walking around shirtless. He had a temper on him but all the Lockwood boys are that way. You and Brady…how did that happen?"

She smiled and said, "I mentioned in passing to Tyler that I was interested and that he could give his uncle my number. He called me that night."

"Of course he did," Abby said with a smirk.

Bonnie walked out of the studio while holding Sarah's hand. "Ty is about the bring the car around, Mom."

Lucy said, "I was thinking that I could just drive Abby home. I am going over there anyway to find something to wear for the night. You can get the munchkin home and ready for tree decorating."

Sarah looked up at Lucy with big blue eyes. "Are you gonna come help us?"

"I wouldn't miss it," she promised.

Bonnie said, "Oh, okay." She hugged her mother. "Thank you for hanging out with us today. I'll call you tonight to see when you are free tomorrow."

Abby returned the hug. "It was my pleasure, baby girl. I'll talk to you later." She hugged Sarah and said, "Be good for your Mama."

"I will, Nonna." Sarah nodded and waved goodbye.

Tyler pulled up in front of the women and got out to open the back door.

Bonnie helped Sarah into the car and climbed in beside her. "Thanks, Ty. It's just us. Lucy is going to take my mom home."

He closed the door and nodded at the two older women.

"I'm parked just over here." Lucy dug her car keys from her purse and walked over to the rental car.

Abby followed Lucy over to her car while sending Seline a text message. She climbed into the passenger side and put on her seatbelt. "Did Brady tell you where he's taking you tonight? I might be able to help you narrow down your search in my closet."

The younger woman started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "I don't really need to raid your closet. I am just going to buy something. I wanted to talk to you privately."

Abby put away her phone and gave Lucy a confused look. "Why did you need to lie about something so unimportant?"

"What the hell is going on with Bonnie and Klaus?" Lucy asked bluntly.

Abby asked, "Niklaus Mikaelson? I doubt Bonnie even knows him other than in passing. Why do you ask?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Cut the shit, cugine. I saw Bonnie and him talking outside the restrooms. Tyler has already hit Brady up for information about Klaus. It wasn't hard to put one and two together."

"I don't know what you are getting at, Lucy. If you have questions then you need to pose them to Bonnie."

She huffed. "I tried and the little heifer told me to mind my own damn business."

"Well, then I would suggest that you heed her warning and stay out of it."

"I know that you are enjoying playing Mommy to Bonnie but you are out of your depth here, Abby. You don't understand everything that is happening behind the scenes. I am doing everything I can to protect her but I can't do that if I am flying blind. Is Klaus threatening her or blackmailing her? Is the alliance in trouble?"

Abby sat up straight in her seat and narrowed her hazel eyes at her younger cousin. "First, don't talk to me like a child or some clueless bitch off the street. Because I am neither. Second, just because I chose not to be involved in the shadier side of the family's business doesn't mean that I don't know it better than you do any day of the week. I had my first kill while you were still in elementary school and I have spent more time in Milazzo than you ever have. Lastly, and this is most important so listen up, _child_. I knew exactly what was going on once Bonnie summoned me to the beach house. She's decided to utilize the assets my mother and our grandmother planted in Giuseppe's organization. My ability to be a good mother notwithstanding, I know what the hell I am doing. I know how to keep my daughter safe without your help, Lucy. So stay in your lane."

The younger woman just blinked in shock. She stared at the road and said, "Well, I guess you told me."

"You're damn right that I did. I'll take care of Klaus Mikaelson. You just worry about doing what my daughter needs you to do," Abby ordered

The drive out to Huntington Beach was decidedly quiet after that. Abby was practically fuming and Lucy was worried. She would have to try talking to Bonnie again. She didn't like having a blind spot.

When they arrived, Abby climbed out of the car. "Thanks for the ride."

Lucy climbed out of the car and walked up to Abby. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come at you sideways like that."

She nodded. "I know. I also know that you are just worried about Bonnie. But after everything I've done to my little girl…I'm not about to break my promise to her. When she is ready to tell you the truth, she will. You need to trust Bonnie to be smart enough to know when she needs your help."

"You're right." She hugged Abby. "I am going to get out of your hair. I do actually need to hit up a couple of stores to find something for tonight."

Abby smiled. "Have fun tonight."

Lucy climbed into her car and gave a wave as she drove away.

The older woman sighed deeply as she went into the house. Lucy was right to be concerned for Bonnie. It looked as if Abby would have to speed up her plans.

Seline walked into the living room carrying Savannah. "She has been looking for you."

Abby took the toddler from the nanny's arms with a broad smile. "Come here, pretty girl. Did you miss Mama?"

Savannah rested her head on Abby's shoulder.

Seline said, "Awww, look at her."

"How were the boys this evening?" Abby asked as she rubbed Savannah's back.

She said, "They were good. Cooper needed a little extra help with his homework but we finished it. He's watching television in the family room now. And Jamie is upstairs in his room playing video games. He finished his homework, too."

"Thank you for all the help. Do you need to leave right away?"

Seline shook her head. "No, I'm on the clock for another 30 minutes. Is something wrong?"

"No, there's nothing wrong. I just have a business call that I need to make. But it shouldn't take me very long."

Seline nodded. "Okay. Well, take your time. I will finish getting Savannah ready for bed."

She handed her daughter back to the nanny. "Thank you, Seline. You are a lifesaver."

Abby took a deep breath and headed into Ric's office. He had made sure that the room was soundproof just in case he needed to conduct business from home. She sat behind the desk and stared at the phone for a minute. She wasn't looking forward to this conversation but it was time that she stepped up for Bonnie.

She had failed her daughter in so many ways. However, she had always been comforted by the knowledge that Sheila had given Bonnie a good life. She had believed in her heart that her daughter had been safe and loved. Now she wondered how many more invisible scars her daughter was hiding. Abby would never be able to make up for neglecting Bonnie. She couldn't undo the horrors that Niklaus had committed against her daughter. However, she could help keep her safe now. Giuseppe would be dead eventually. His death would come either by Damon's hands or by a bullet from a Benedetto sniper's rifle. Unfortunately, Niklaus was a more delicate situation.

The idea of watching Niklaus bleed out in a dirty alley had a certain appeal. However, Abby understood the importance of the alliance. Moreover, death would be too easy for Niklaus. Abby wanted him to suffer for what he did to Bonnie. Sending Niklaus to prison would leave him vulnerable. There was only so much protection his family could provide while he was on the inside. It wouldn't take much effort from Abby to ensure that some very big men schooled Klaus on what it meant to be violated repeatedly. When she was done with him, Niklaus would never lay a finger on another helpless girl.

Abby hummed _Guantanamera_ quietly as she dialed a telephone number.

" _Hello?" a man greeted in a sleep roughened voice after three rings._

"Hiya, sweets," Abby replied in a melodic tone.

" _Abigail?"_

"I am flattered that you still recognize my voice. Do you have time to talk?"

" _How did you even get this number?" he complained. The sheets rustled as he sat up in the bed._

She smirked. "Oh, I have my ways. I like to keep tabs on the people I've tried to kill in the past. You know, just in case I ever get the urge to finish the job."

" _It's been 18 years. I stopped waiting for a bullet to the head ten years ago."_

She tsked and then playfully admonished him, "You were expecting a bullet to the head? That would be terribly impersonal after everything we have shared. We were married for three long years. No, when I take your life I want to feel the warmth of your blood on my hands, sweets. Only something up close and personal will do."

 _Rudy chuckled deeply. "Are you trying to seduce me into having phone sex with you? If you are, you should start by sending me a picture of you topless."_

Abby gently drummed her nails against the desk. "Phone sex could be interesting. However, I'm certain you have a barely legal one-night stand sprawled out in your bed right now."

" _Well, you aren't calling to threaten my life or to have phone sex. What other reason could you have for calling me at this God forsaken hour, Abigail?"_

Rudy had moved to London after their divorce. Sheila had paid off Rudy and then told him to leave the country if he wanted to live. The Bennett matriarch didn't have a good relationship with her only child. However, she was livid after learning that Rudy had been physically abusing Abby for well over a year.

"Friday morning you are going to get on a plane and fly out here to Los Angeles. I will book a flight for you, sweets. I will even be generous enough to make it first class."

 _He huffed out a laugh. "Why in God's name would I do a thing like that? There's a reason why I still live in London."_

"Yes, I am well aware of your disdain for the state of California. Unfortunately, this isn't really a request. This is more of a do what your ex-wife says or there will be consequences."

" _It sounds like we're back to you killing me," he quipped. "What do you want, Abigail?"_

"What I want is for you to get on the plane in three days and fly your ass across the Atlantic Ocean. I don't care what mental math you need to do to make that happen. You can fly out here because our pregnant daughter is in danger or because your vindictive ex-wife can torpedo your business with one anonymous tip to the Interpol."

 _The line went silent for a moment. "Is Bonnie okay?"_

Abby took a deep breath and said, "No, she's not. She is recovering from some very serious injuries. Her face...you should have seen her face a week ago."

" _Is it her husband? Did that son of a bitch put his hands on my daughter?" he asked in a dangerous tone._

She huffed out a humorless laugh. "That's the first thing I asked when I saw her face. But no. Damon hasn't started abusing her. I'll tell you everything that you need to know when you get here."

" _What makes you think that I will agree to your demands?"_

"Because you know that I really would report you to Interpol without a second thought. Also, because I know that you do love our daughter. She needs us, Rudy. I wouldn't be calling you if it wasn't important."

 _Rudy asked, "If Bonnie needs my help then why isn't she the one calling me?"_

"Because she got her stubbornness from you," she replied. "Our daughter has the weight of the world on her shoulders, sweets. She is so strong and so brave but at the end of the day she's still 21-years-old. She needs her parents."

" _What exactly do you need from me?" he asked._

"Do you still have your connections in NorCal?"

 _Rudy said, "Yes. Although, now I am curious as to why you aren't reaching out to someone in your own family. Am I really flying across an ocean to help you score?"_

"I need major weight. Enough to get someone sent up for life. My name opens a lot doors but this can't be traced back to me."

" _Last I heard you were playing happy families with Alaric Salvatore. Why not ask him for help since you hate me so much?"_

Abby realized that she wasn't the only one keeping an eye on her ex. It seemed that Rudy was keeping tabs on her as well.

"Because he isn't her father. You are, Rudolph. We owe her and you know it. We both abandoned our daughter. She was just a little girl and she needed us, Rudy. She needed us more than you will ever know. We can't change the past but we can try to be here for her now. Bonnie doesn't call you because she thinks that you don't love her. You are the one that gave her that impression. Do something to change that."

 _Rudy said, "I'll be there but this better not be some sort of game._

"It's not."

" _You said that Bonnie's pregnant?" he asked._

Abby smiled as she thought of her unborn grandchildren. "Yes, she is. Bonnie is pregnant with twins."

" _Twins…" he repeated._

"Be sure to bring a gift for our granddaughter when you come. Sarah likes dolls, books, and remote control cars."

 _Rudy huffed at his ex's presumptuousness. "I will bring a nice gift. Don't worry."_

"Well, I will let you go. Men of your age need their sleep."

" _Wait…"_

"What?" she asked.

" _What are you wearing?" he asked._

Abby rolled her eyes in exasperation. She said, "Good night, Rudy."


	29. The Other Woman

It had taken four years for Bonnie to reach her breaking point. Truthfully, she probably would have tolerated Damon's disrespectful and neglectful behavior for another couple of years until he cemented his role as boss of the Salvatore organization. However, the well-being of her children trumped everything else in her life. She was determined to do everything in her power to carry her twins as close to term as humanly possible. Bonnie needed to clear all the unnecessary stress out of her life to have even a remote chance of doing that. Therefore, she moved swiftly getting her ducks in a row to force Damon into a separation he would likely oppose. While her loving husband didn't want her, he also couldn't stomach the idea of someone else having her. Bonnie had to make Damon understand that he was no longer in control of their relationship.

The young mother's first move had been to call Big John—again. She gave her uncle just enough of the truth for him to grant her request with few questions. Bonnie didn't just want a few loyal Benedetto men inside the smuggling operation as he had planned. She asked Big John to send her cousins: Cesare, Cristian, Gemma, and Remy to the States for an indefinite period. He could bill the move as assistance for Damon. After all, the vultures would start to circle as soon as Giuseppe was out of the picture. Damon would have his hands full protecting the Salvatores' territory. The smuggling operation could slip through the cracks.

Another outfit had made a move on the operation five years ago when the news of Sheila's impending death began to spread like wildfire through the criminal underworld. Fortunately, Giuseppe had been able to give the situation his full attention. He had viciously squashed the move but they would try again. This would be Bonnie's opening gamut to wrestle control of the smuggling operation out of Damon's hands.

Bonnie's second move had been to retain the services of Los Angeles' top family law firm. The firm was discreet and met with Bonnie at the beach house under the cover of darkness. They often handled contentious high-profiled divorces and understood her need for secrecy. They had spent hours working on a strategy in the event that Damon refused to agree to the separation. Filing for divorce would be a last resort but she needed to be prepared for every possible scenario. Bonnie intended to seek physical custody of Sarah and the twins in this hypothetical divorce. Damon was a loving father but he was often too busy to be involved regularly. If they weren't together it just made sense for their children to spend the majority of their time with her.

Bonnie's third move took her half way across the world to have a long overdue conversation with Katherine. It had taken a couple of days to put the trip together because of her entourage's size. Sarah, Lucy, Tyler, Matt, Jesse, a doctor, a nurse, and a personal chef joined her in Tenerife. She rented an 18th century sugar farm turned vacation home for the duration of their stay. The state-of the art mansion featured ocean views, an Olympic sized swimming pool, and enough rooms to accommodate her large party. Furthermore, the rented mansion was less than twenty minutes away from the Salvatore villa where Katherine was making herself at home.

Prior to arriving, Bonnie had given her daughter a list of activities they could do on any of the seven larger islands. Bonnie scheduled their entire trip around Sarah's choices. She couldn't help but feel guilty for the chaos that she was about to rain down on the little girl's life. Anyone with eyes could see that she adored her father. Sarah would be confused and devastated when she learned that they were moving out of the Salvatore Manor. Bonnie just wanted to give her a week of fun before everything changed. The first day in Tenerife, they spent the majority of their time at a theme park. Afterwards, they had dinner aboard a boat while whale watching.

The second day had a slightly different tone. Bonnie, Lucy, and Sarah had spent the morning in the swimming pool. After eating lunch prepared by the personal chef, they headed over to the Salvatore villa. Bonnie had promised Sarah that as soon they finished visiting her 'friend' that they would go to the exotic bird sanctuary.

Later, Lucy and Matt would take her on a wildlife tour. Bonnie's personal physician, Cole, had shot down the idea of her accompanying them. He was concerned about the amount of walking and the hot temperatures. She would do enough walking at the exotic bird sanctuary.

Tyler pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. He didn't like the idea of Bonnie confronting Katherine alone. He was worried about her blood pressure. However, he trusted his friend to be smart. Bonnie wouldn't let Katherine goad her into a reaction because she knew what was at stake. He climbed out of the car and opened the door for her.

"Thanks, Ty."

Bonnie looked like a goddess when she stepped down from the SUV. She was wearing a knee-length summer dress made of a white eyelet fabric. The top of the spaghetti strap dress accentuated Bonnie's ample bosom. Her normally straight hair now hung over her shoulders in natural ringlet curls. The simple ballet flats she wore drew attention to her diminutive stature.

Sarah hopped out of the car wearing a blue summer dress that matched her eyes perfectly. Her curly jet-black hair had been styled in a thick crown braid that went around her entire head. Blue and white ribbons had been woven into the hairstyle. She immediately sought out her mother's hand as she looked up at the house in front of them. "Who lives here, Mama?"

"My friend and her little girl are staying here right now," Bonnie explained with a cheerful smile.

Lucy let down her window and said, "We will be out here if you need us, Bon."

"It won't come to that. I have faith that she is a smart woman," Bonnie explained simply.

Lucy hummed in agreement.

Bonnie wasn't one for dramatic shows of force. Sheila taught her that it was a sign of weakness. True power didn't need to be waved about like a flag. She kept that gem in mind as she walked up to the front door of the Salvatore family's villa. Bonnie knocked on the door to show Katherine a modicum of respect. She could have just used her key but there was no need to put the older woman on the defensive from the outset. Bonnie wasn't there for a fight or to antagonize Damon's mistress.

Katherine's jaw dropped as she opened the door. She couldn't believe that Bonnie and Sarah were standing in front of her. Katherine's entire body tensed in fear of what Damon would do to her if he knew about this. He had been quite clear about his intentions if Katherine meddled with his marriage again. She didn't believe for a moment that Enzo had misconstrued Damon's message. Katherine knew that his precious wife certainly wouldn't get the blame.

She cleared her throat and said, "Hello, Mrs. Salvatore…"

Bonnie pushed her sunglasses atop her head to hold back her curly hair. She smiled primly at the tendril of fear that Katherine quickly masked with a polite greeting. However, Bonnie was certain that was fear of Damon's reaction. Katherine hadn't begun to understand that Bonnie was the one she should fear.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Petrova. I was hoping that we could have a chat. Perhaps the girls could play together. I understand that Nadia and Sarah are about the same age," Bonnie suggested in a cordial tone.

The older woman felt her blood run cold at the mention of Nadia. She didn't understand how this girl even knew about her daughter. She was even more concerned that Bonnie knew that Nadia was currently in Tenerife. Dozens of questions flooded her brain as she tried to work out what was happening.

She forced a smile that most would believe was genuine. "Of course, please, come inside."

Bonnie felt none of the warmth she had in previous visits to the home. She had vacationed there with the Salvatore family many times in her childhood. Her grandmother enjoyed island life and often talked of one day retiring somewhere like Tenerife. However, Bonnie hadn't visited since being married to Damon. Lucy had learned that the villa was Katherine's preferred retreat. She now understood Damon's reluctance to vacation here. He really did try to keep them separate much like his uncle who purchased Abby's home less than an hour away from the one he shared with Jo and their twins. The Salvatore men were as clever as they were audacious when it came to hiding their affairs.

Katherine closed the door and then led them into the living room. She held out her hand for Nadia. "Come here, sunshine. Come meet my friends."

Nadia was playing with a huge dollhouse in the middle of the living room. The seven-year-old girl had olive colored skin and pin straight dark brown hair. Her amber colored eyes studied their guests with curiosity.

The girl stood and rushed over to her mother. "Hi. I'm Nadia."

Bonnie smiled. "Hi. My name is Bonnie and this is my little girl, Sarah. Say hi, Sarah."

Sarah gave a little wave. "Hi."

Katherine turned to look at her daughter. "I bet Sarah would love to see your new dollhouse. Why don't you show her while I talk to her mommy?"

Nadia said, "Okay." She smiled at Sarah and said, "It's right over here. Come on. I'll show you."

Sarah looked up at Bonnie and ran after Nadia when she got the nod of approval.

Katherine asked, "Would you like to have a seat in the kitchen? We can see the girls playing from there."

Bonnie nodded, "Sure."

"Would you like something to drink?"

She followed Katherine into the open plan kitchen. Her eyes fell onto several freshly painted terracotta flowerpots drying on the counter. The haphazard designs on each of the flowerpots suggested that Nadia was the artist.

"I'll take a sparkling water if you have it," Bonnie replied as she sat in the breakfast nook.

The older woman opened the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of sparkling water. Katherine pulled down two glasses from the cabinet and then took a steadying breath. She walked across the room and sat across from Bonnie. "I hope this is okay."

The younger woman put her phone on silent. She didn't want to be disturbed during this conversation with Katherine. Everyone that mattered knew where she was and what she was doing right now. Anyone else trying to reach Bonnie could damn well wait until after she was finished.

"It is fine. Thank you," she replied. Bonnie opened the bottle and filled her glass.

Katherine's greatest quality was her ability to read people. She could divine someone's true intention by reading body language and facial expressions. Furthermore, her skilled ears could easily identify a person's changing inflection and speech pattern. Katherine could tell when someone was speaking half-truths and she simply read between the lies. She had honed these skills during her hardscrabble upbringing. Katherine's skill set had allowed her to con wealthy men out of hundreds of thousands of dollars before she met Damon.

As she sat across from Damon's child bride, all of her instincts were telling her to run. The girl wore a serene smile as she daintily sipped her sparkling water. However, Katherine saw something dark and dangerous lurking in Bonnie's emerald green eyes. Suddenly, she had the unshakable feeling that she was in the presence of a predator. Katherine wondered how Damon had been married to this girl for four years and still believed her to be his innocent little 'bunny'. She found herself concerned about why Bonnie would choose to drop the act now.

Katherine tried to seem nonchalant when she said, "I have to say I am surprised to see you here. However, I rather think that was the point of your sudden appearance."

Bonnie could practically feel the unease rippling in the air around them. It took every shred of her willpower to suppress a maniacal grin. Instead, she idly dragged her manicured nails over the etched glass.

"I suppose that I could have called you but I thought it would be better if we spoke in person. Besides, I thought it was high time I took my little girl on a vacation. Damon is so often occupied with…other things when he has time off work."

Katherine noted the not so subtle jab from Bonnie. "If this is about those messages that I sent you, I'm…"

Bonnie cut Katherine off with a sharp bark of laughter. She smiled, "You're not sorry so you can save the fake apology. I am not here for that anyway."

Katherine grew more uncomfortable by the minute. Her mind raced as she tried to understand the purpose of Bonnie's visit. "Then to what do I owe this visit, Mrs. Salvatore."

"Please, call me Bonnie. There really is no need to be quite so formal. We are connected after all," she said. "Do you prefer to be called Katherine or Katerina?"

Suddenly, Katherine remembered that Bonnie had addressed her as 'Ms. Petrova' instead of 'Ms. Pierce'. At the time, Katherine had been so shocked by the young woman's sudden arrival that she had missed a crucial clue. This served as more evidence that Bonnie knew a great deal about her life.

"Either is fine with me," she answered smoothly.

"I am here because I thought it was time that you and I came to an understanding. I realize now that you are a very important part of Damon's life. My husband obviously loves you a great deal. He put off a very important business trip to spend two extra days with you this week."

Katherine stiffened in her chair. It was the first outward sign of her discomfort.

Bonnie held up her hand to silence whatever lie was about to fall from the woman's lips. "I am not here for denials or false claims that you will end the affair."

"Then why are you here?" she asked.

She said, "I don't know if Damon has mentioned it but I am 16 weeks pregnant with twins. Unfortunately, I am having some stress related complications with this pregnancy—namely unreasonably high blood pressure. My doctor insisted that I reduce the stress in my life. Damon happens to be the only consistent source of stress in my life. He is a liar, a betrayer, an adulterer, and a fool. Therefore, I have decided to remove him from life."

Katherine was stunned to say the least. "I am not sure what this has to do with me."

"I have wasted four years of my life on Damon. I refuse to waste a single moment more on him. He seems to love you. I have decided that he can have you but only you."

"What are you saying?" she asked carefully.

Bonnie refilled her glass and smiled. "Well, of course you aren't the only woman my dear husband sleeps with behind my back. You are just the one that has been around the longest. Lately, he's been slipping away to see Andie Starr."

"The slut that does the weather?" she asked in an incredulous voice.

Bonnie laughed softly at Katherine's reaction. The look of betrayal warmed her greatly. "I am offering you something that Damon never would…exclusivity. I can make sure that you are the only woman in his bed from now until you grow tired of him or he dies—whichever comes first."

Katherine was practically seething with anger. Now she understood why Damon had been spending less time with her. "I don't see how aligning will do us any good. My position is precarious. He could easily replace me with someone younger and more docile."

Bonnie huffed out a laugh. "Don't sell yourself short, Katherine. I have known Damon my whole life. His bed has had a revolving door from the moment he started having sex. Your longevity as his mistress speaks to his affection for you. He would not replace you as easily as you might think. Besides, Nadia is his child, isn't she?"

For a moment, it felt as if the world had frozen in place. Katherine wondered how this girl knew what Damon didn't. She had taken measures to keep her daughter off the Salvatore family's radar. She was under the impression that Enzo was the only one who knew the truth about Nadia. Katherine knew that he would never reveal the truth to Bonnie or even Damon. "You have your facts a little mixed up. Nadia is my younger sister. My mother had a change of life baby. I just help care for her."

The girl lifted an eyebrow. "Yes, that is what her birth certificate says. However, we both know that was just a little creative paperwork on your part. I managed to find the midwife that signed Nadia's birth certificate. She was very helpful after I paid her a tidy sum. Claire explained that you gave birth to Nadia in your mother's living room. Apparently, you were very afraid of the father's family learning of her existence."

Katherine began to panic as she tried to find a way to protect Nadia. She thought back to Enzo's veiled words and decided to take a gamble.

"There is a chance that Damon isn't Nadia's father," she answered quietly. "But she may well still be related to him. I can't allow Giuseppe into my daughter's life. You know what he is capable of doing."

Bonnie wasn't surprised by the woman's revelation. After Giuseppe raped Katherine, he had dispatched Richard Lockwood to buy her silence. His account of what happened was part of the files Sheila had left with her granddaughter. Bonnie had never used the information because she couldn't justify endangering another child by bringing Nadia into Giuseppe's sphere of influence. However, the old man was on his way out.

"It's nothing that a quick DNA test can't resolve. It would be great if Damon were Nadia's father. However, it wouldn't be the end of the world if the results came back saying that he was her brother. I can easily have the lab falsify the results for our purposes. Damon will be over the moon to learn that he has another child. Surely, he will make sure that Nadia and her mother want for nothing. You can say goodbye to the penthouse at the Rischard and hello to a two-story home in an upscale gated community," she explained cheerfully.

She chuckled thinking that Bonnie was joking. However, her expression quickly sobered. "You are serious about this."

"I am as serious as a heart attack. I have given this a great deal of thought. I cannot continue on this way. I deserve better from my husband. However, I am not foolish enough to think that I can stop him from cheating. Men seem to be allergic to fidelity while requiring it from us. Damon obviously has some affection for you or he would have already replaced you with a younger model."

Katherine asked, "Why not just divorce him? It's my understanding that you have a favorable prenuptial agreement."

The girl shrugged and took another sip of the sparkling water. "My marriage is very beneficial to me. Merging BTS and Velocita made millions of dollars for my family. A nasty divorce and an acrimonious reorganization of the corporation could send our stock prices into the toilet. Neither of you are worth the loss of my money. Besides, he wouldn't and couldn't marry you. No offense."

Katherine huffed. "A little taken but I get your point. We are both fairly set in our roles. We can only hope to improve our conditions—not change them."

"Exactly. Do we have a deal?"

She nodded. "Damon won't be happy."

Bonnie said, "He will get over it. I have never been happy. Perhaps it is time that Damon and I switch roles."

"What's the catch?"

Bonnie's smile widened at Katherine's perceptiveness. "I want something very simple. You will show discretion that you have often lacked as his mistress. No one will know of your involvement with Damon. There will be no more coked out parties with your slutty friends. You will never send me another picture of you in bed with my husband. You will show me the respect I am due as his wife or you will just disappear one day. It wouldn't be the first time that one of Damon's baby mama's just went missing."

The silence in the kitchen was deafening as Katherine processed Bonnie's threat. She swallowed thickly. "Damon wouldn't allow you to hurt me."

"I don't plan to hurt you. I will kill you…very slowly and very painfully. I have four years of repressed rage just simmering under the surface. You don't want to test the limits of my generosity. I am gift-wrapping my husband for you. All I am asking in return is that you behave respectfully. Besides, Damon would never believe that I had anything to do with your death. I am sweet, innocent, and naïve. Furthermore, there isn't a thing he could do about it even if he ever became suspicious. Damon wouldn't start a mob war over one dead whore. However, I don't want it to come to that. You are smart...a survivor. You pulled yourself and your family out of squalor by sheer will. This petty squabbling over Damon is beneath you. It is beneath both of us."

Katherine considered her options for a few moments. However, there didn't seem to be a way to wiggle out of this predicament. "What do I have to do?"

"Well, the first step is getting a DNA test to prove that Damon is Nadia's father. I know a lab that can fast track the results. We would have them before Damon returns from his trip."

She laughed quietly. "He really doesn't know you at all."

Bonnie laughed with her. "Damon is arrogant. He likes to ignore what doesn't interest him. Perhaps one day he will learn how foolish that is."

Katherine said, "I'm taking a risk here. He was none too pleased the last time I contacted you. I am under strict orders never to speak to you again. Some fairly dire circumstances were threatened."

"You have my word that I will make sure Damon understands that I am the one that initiated this. I sought you out and requested a conversation. You couldn't very well turn me away from a house that I own." Bonnie idly watched the girls playing together. "Why have never told Damon about her?"

There was no doubt in her mind that Damon didn't know Nadia could be his daughter. He was a degenerate in many ways but family mattered to him.

The older woman followed her gaze and said, "The idea of my daughter living under the same roof with Giuseppe is the thing of nightmares. I had no doubt that Giuseppe would take Nadia from me if it turned out he was her father instead of Damon."

Bonnie nodded in understanding. She had those same nightmares for her own daughter.

"Would you mind flying back to California with me? We have many things to accomplish before Damon returns from his business trip. Most of those things would be easier if we were in the same city."

Katherine said, "My mother is here with me."

Bonnie smiled. "I know. I have my jet with me. We can drop your mother off in San Francisco if you like. There is plenty of room on the plane."

"How soon would we need to leave?"

"I will be staying here until the middle of next week. I meant what I said about this being a vacation for my little girl," she explained.

Katherine said, "We will be ready to leave then."

Bonnie nodded. "Well, it appears that we have a plan. Thank you for talking to me, Katherine. I think this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"I hope so," she replied.

She stood up and collected her purse. "I should get out of here. I promised Sarah that we would spend the day sightseeing. The exotic bird sanctuary is our first stop. She's been in love with exotic birds since seeing the movie _Rio_."

Katherine stood as well. "Nadia loves going there, too. Are the botanical gardens on your itinerary, too?"

"Yes, we plan to visit them tomorrow." Bonnie walked into the living room. "It's time to go, bambolina."

Sarah pouted but obediently walked over to Bonnie and took her hand.

Bonnie smiled. "You will see your new friend again soon. Say goodbye."

"Thank you for letting me play with your dollies." She waved to Nadia. "Bye."

"You're welcome." Nadia walked over to her mother and waved as well.

"I hope the two of you have a good day. Good bye," Bonnie said. Afterwards, she walked outside with Sarah.

Tyler climbed out of the car and opened the backdoor.

Sarah scrambled into the car first and climbed into her booster seat.

Bonnie settled into the seat beside her daughter as Tyler closed the door.

Lucy looked over the seat at Bonnie. "How did it go?"

"She wisely agreed to my compromise."

The older woman rolled her eyes. "I still say this is insanity."

"I will not be my mother or Jo. You saw that ridiculous display during Thanksgiving. She is miserable and so is Jo. I won't allow him to continue playing me for a fool. I'm not built for it."

Lucy scowled but had to agree with the last part. Bonnie wasn't built for it. Like most Benedetto women, her sadness usually turned into uncontrollable rage. She had been waiting for Abby to snap on Ric all week. However, she assumed her older cousin was trying to make the best of a bad situation for her young children. "What about the girl?"

Bonnie nodded. "Probably. We'll do a test to see."

"You could always just put an end to this," Lucy suggested. It was hard talking in front of Sarah. She was old enough to understand certain things.

"I've already told you that wasn't happening. We can explore other options if he decides to object."

Lucy rolled her eyes and turned around in her seat. "Fine."

Bonnie looked at Tyler from the rearview mirror. "No comments from you? I'm surprised. I was sure you would have an opinion."

He smirked. "I have one but I don't see that it would be welcomed by you. I figured that I would keep it to myself."

She laughed and motioned in his direction. "See that's the way it's done, Lucy."

Lucy huffed. "I am your older cousin. It is my right to give you unsolicited advice."

"Is it? I didn't see that any of the brochures."

"It was in the fine print," she retorted.

Bonnie felt her phone vibrate in her purse. She pulled it out and frowned seeing Damon's picture. She doubted that Katherine would call Damon. She had much more to lose than Bonnie did. However, there was the chance that someone could have been watching the villa.

She answered the phone. "Hello."

" _Hi, bunny. How are you feeling?"_

"I'm fine. How is your trip going?"

" _It's business so it is boring. Caroline told Stefan that you left for a vacation…"_

Bonnie had been prepared for that eventuality. She knew that Caroline wouldn't be able to lie to Stefan if he asked about her. He hadn't been able to lie to Caroline about being in Tenerife. Bonnie admired the foundation of honesty and trust on which their marriage had been built.

"Yes, I just wanted to get away for a few days. I won't be gone long and I am making sure that Sarah is keeping up with her lessons."

" _I am not concerned about that. You always make sure that Sarah's education is progressing as scheduled. I am more concerned about you. Where are you?"_

Bonnie felt wickedness take over her. "I am in Tenerife."

The line went deathly silent for a beat. " _Are you going to the villa?"_

"No, I rented a place. It's closer to all of the tourist attractions. I am taking Sarah to the exotic bird sanctuary right now. She's so excited."

" _How long will you be staying there?"_

Bonnie said, "We got here yesterday. We will probably leave sometime next week. Is everything okay? You sound funny."

Lucy stifled a laugh.

" _I'm fine. I am just surprised. Do you remember the last time we were in Tenerife?"_

Her jaw tightened in response. "I do. The whole family spent a month here for your 23th birthday. It was nice."

" _Maybe we could go there together sometime."_

"Maybe. Do you want to speak to Sarah?"

" _Oh, sure. Put her on."_

Bonnie passed the phone to their daughter. "It's Papa."

Sarah said, "Hi, Papa! Guess what? We swam in the pool today. Mama let me go snorkeling with Aunt Lucy. It was so much fun!"

Lucy looked over the seat at her cousin as Sarah chattered on the phone to Damon. "You good?"

"Never better," she replied.

The older woman studied her younger cousin's expression and realized that she meant it. Lucy never thought she would see the day when Bonnie would be done with Damon.

A few minutes later, Sarah held the phone out to Bonnie. "Papa wants to talk to you."

She took the phone. "Yeah?"

" _I was thinking that you could stopover in Milazzo on the way home. I would like to see you, baby. I miss you and Sarah."_

Her voice remained soft and sweet. "I can't, Damon. I have a doctor's appointment next week that I just can't miss. I'm sorry."

" _You don't need to apologize. It is more important for you to make it to all of the appointments with Dr. Huerta. Is Tyler with you?"_

She gave a soft laugh. "You worry too much. Tyler, Matt, and Lucy are with us. We are safe. I have to go, Damon. I love you."

" _I love you, too. I will call later to say goodnight to Sarah."_

Bonnie ended the call and dropped the phone in her purse.

Just then, Tyler pulled into a parking space at the bird sanctuary.

Lucy said, "I can take Sarah to go buy our tickets."

Bonnie nodded. "Yes, please. I need a moment."

Lucy climbed out of the car and helped Sarah out. "Come on, munchkin."

Tyler turned around once they were alone. "Matt called while you were talking to Katherine. The hit on Shane goes down later today. Robbie is going to hit him in the yard during a fight. If we are lucky Robbie gets away clean. If not they have a history of bad blood that should obscure the fact that it is a planned assassination."

She smiled. "Everything is coming along well. Once Giuseppe's sniveling godson is out of the way only John Gilbert will be left to oppose Damon."

Tyler frowned at the mention of John. He said, "I know his impromptu trip to meet with Giuseppe in France delayed our plans but he will come back stateside soon. We will take care of him then."

Bonnie squeezed his hand. "I know. We should head inside. Sarah has been chomping at the bit to see the birds."


	30. All My Sins Laid Bare

After twelve days in Milazzo, Damon was happy to be home again. He was grateful to his great-uncles, Bruno and Giacomo. They had gone above and beyond the call of duty by selling him as the future of the Salvatore organization. He didn't have to do much more than glad-handing the higher ranking members of the family once they touched down in the city. Giuseppe had failed to turn them in his favor despite months of his best efforts. The simple truth was that he was getting older, more violent, and more unpredictable. They could have tolerated his advancing age because wisdom was to be respected. However, his unpredictability and violent tendencies made him a liability. From one day to the next, they never knew which version of Giuseppe they would encounter.

Damon had spent his days meeting with men that had known him since he was a boy. He found himself grateful that Giuseppe used to drag them all to Milazzo frequently. It was easier to inspire confidence in people that already knew him. Damon had his issues and those were public knowledge thanks to the tabloids. However, these men had seen him grow up. They knew how seriously he had always taken their business. These men knew the role he had played in their organization for years. Damon might have gone to college but he had done wetwork for the family until he took over as CEO of Velocita. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty but he was also capable of maintaining a legitimate persona.

Unfortunately, his trip to Milazzo had not been all good news. His meeting with Big John Benedetto had not gone the way he had expected. The older man had readily agreed to support Damon as he took control of the organization. However, his support came with strings, as most things did in their business. John insisted in having a more active role in the U.S. side of the smuggling operation. He presented the power play as a way to assist Damon during what would be an arduous transition of power. John had hand picked two of his grandsons, his granddaughter Gemma, and his great-nephew Remy. Damon had begrudgingly agreed to John's stipulations. It was better to agree than to have the move forced upon him. However, a sense of foreboding had plagued him for the rest of the trip. Did John sense some discord in Bonnie and Damon's marriage?

Damon and Zach walked into the Salvatore Manor together. Alaric had gone to his own home and Stefan was meeting his family in Beverly Hills for some Christmas shopping. In their absence, the house had been decorated for Christmas. There wasn't a single surface that didn't pay homage to the holiday season in some way. Damon was glad that he had missed the chaos that came along with the design crew descending on his home. He was certain that the house looked like a warzone before it was transformed into this winter wonderland. He left his suitcases in the foyer. One of the maids could take the luggage up to his bedroom. Right now, he wanted to find his wife and daughter. Bonnie had been distant with him while he was in Milazzo. He had believed that they were on decent enough terms. Damon had even convinced Bonnie to have sex with him before he left. However, every time they talked on the phone she found a reason to end the conversation early or she would pass the phone off to Sarah.

One of their longest tenured maids walked into the room. "Welcome home, sirs."

"Hi, Dinah. I see the house is still standing," Zach said in greeting.

"Always, sir." She asked, "How was your trip?"

Damon smiled. "Boring and I am glad to be home. Where are my wife and daughter?"

"Mrs. Salvatore and Miss Sarah are entertaining guests in the conservatory," the older woman replied with an odd smile.

Damon smiled and said, "Thank you."

Zach said, "Kiss Bonnie and my niece for me. I am going to change clothes and drop by the office for a few hours."

He shook his head and chuckled. "Meredith is going to kill you for going into work without getting any rest, Zio. The jetlag is going to catch up with you eventually."

"Meredith should be in surgery for a few more hours and the boys are at her parents' house. She won't mind if I squeeze in a little work. I can catch a nap on the couch in my office if I start getting tired."

"Workaholic," the younger man complained.

He smirked, "Someone has to pull their weight around here."

Damon flipped off his uncle.

Zach chuckled and said, I'll see you later, Damon."

Damon picked up two gift bags and walked to the conservatory. When Damon entered the room, he felt as if he was having a stroke. He set the bags on a side table so that he didn't accidentally break the fragile gifts.

Bonnie and Katherine were sitting together on the sofa talking amiably. The two women were drinking tea and watching as Sarah and Nadia tried to construct a _Lego Architecture_ replica of what looked like the Trevi Fountain. Meanwhile, the Radio Disney station was playing loudly over the house's integrated sound system.

He kept his voice low so that he didn't attract the children's attention and he growled, "What are you doing here, Katherine?"

Katherine remained quiet and deferred to Bonnie. She understood that she was merely a pawn in the young woman's game.

Bonnie smiled brightly at her husband. "I invited Katherine and her daughter, Nadia, here for lunch."

Damon looked as if he might strangle Katherine with his bare hands. "Was I not clear about what would happen the next time you insinuated yourself in my marriage?"

The green-eyed girl continued, "Before you start making threats, she didn't contact me. I reached out to Katherine while I was in Tenerife. It seemed silly not to speak with her when I was literally 20 minutes away from the villa."

All of the suspicions he had tried to ignore over the last week came rushing back with a vengeance. Bonnie had repeatedly lied to him about the nature of her trip to Tenerife. Suddenly, he felt unsteady and utterly exposed as he looked between the two women. He tried to work out what the unnerving smiles on their faces meant.

He said, "You told me that you were in Tenerife for a vacation."

Katherine silently studied the array of emotions playing over Damon's normally stoic face. His child bride had caught him as completely off guard as she had been just a week ago when Bonnie had turned up on the villa's doorstep.

"I did," she assured him. "You never have time to take us on a real vacation. You are ever so busy with work and sleeping with other women. I figured that Sarah and I deserved a proper vacation. I spent nearly a week in Tenerife and perhaps less than two hours with Katherine over that timeframe. She is such a large part of your life. I thought it was criminal that I didn't know more about her. I mean she is your better half, Damon. She is the woman in your life that knows you best, right? She understands you in ways that I never have…"

Damon's posture stiffened as Bonnie's cold tone sliced through him like a knife. He could tell that Katherine had been talking out of school. His hands would be around her slender throat if it weren't for the two little girls sitting across the room.

The girls had their backs to the adults. Fortunately, the music playing overhead was muffling the conversation not meant for their little ears.

"We need to talk, Bonnie." He snapped, "In private!"

Bonnie was amused by Damon's belief that he could order her to do anything at that moment. His mistress was literally sitting beside her. Yet somehow, Damon thought he was still in control of the situation. She couldn't decide if that was supreme confidence or utter stupidity on his part. She picked up a remote and lowered the volume of the music.

"Sarah, I bet that Sophie has finished baking those cookies. Why don't you and Nadia go to the kitchen and ask for some cookies and milk?"

Sarah got to her feet. "Okay, Mama." She ran over to Damon and hugged his tense body. "Hi, Papa! I'm so happy that you are home."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Hi, bambolina. I missed you."

"I missed you, too. This is my friend Nadia," she said motioning to the other girl. "I met her when me and Mama were on vacation."

Damon had known about Nadia since Katherine disappeared from his life for nearly six months. He had his people find her and learned that she was pregnant. Damon had assumed that the child belonged to one of the other men that she was seeing. At the time, he didn't require her to be faithful to him. When Katherine had reinitiated their relationship months later, he pretended to believe the story about her mother having a complicated menopausal pregnancy.

Damon waved hesitantly. "Hello."

The girl waved back timidly. "Hi."

"Go on to the kitchen with your friend, bambolina. You can see Papa later," Bonnie said in a soft voice.

Suddenly, Damon didn't want his daughter to leave. He had the sickening feeling that Sarah was the only thing protecting him from some danger he didn't yet understand.

Sarah said, "Okay. Come on, Nadia. Sophie makes the best cookies ever!"

The girls held hands as they ran from the conservatory. They had spent a lot time together in the days since returning from Tenerife.

Damon pushed the door closed. "What is the meaning of this, Bonnie?"

She played coy and said, "I don't know what you mean, Damon. I just decided to make a friend. Katherine is incredibly interesting. Did you know that she speaks two languages fluently?"

He decided the best strategy was to take control of the situation. He had to remind Bonnie of their respective roles. "I am not in the mood for jokes, Bonnie. Explain yourself now!"

Katherine winced at his poor choice. While Bonnie played up being amused, she saw through the girl's carefully constructed mask. She could see the predator inside Bonnie begging to be unleashed on poor unsuspecting Damon.

Bonnie's eyes flashed dangerously as she stood from the couch. She walked up to her husband and stared at him for a long moment. "You make me sick, Damon. I mean that literally. My blood pressure went through the roof and I had trouble sleeping at night. I could barely hold down food. The stress of being your wife is killing me. Worse, it is putting my pregnancy at risk. While you were away, I finally came to the conclusion that you are not worth all of this pain and stress. Two weeks away from you was just what the doctor ordered. I feel so much better. I am sure some of that is down to the medication for my high blood pressure and the nausea. However, it is also because I have peace of mind now. I don't need you, Damon—not anymore. And I damn sure don't want you."

Damon felt as if his entire world was coming down around him. He struggled to piece together coherent thoughts as Bonnie's words reverberated in his head as if it were an echo chamber. Damon had known for a while that something was off in their marriage. However, he thought that there would be time to fix it once Giuseppe was out of the way. He was completely blindsided by this sudden implosion. The most shocking part was that Bonnie had obviously planned it this way. She wanted him off-kilter. That was the only way to explain having Katherine waiting for his arrival.

Slowly Bonnie's words began to make more sense as they settled into his bourbon soaked brain. Damon realized that Bonnie mentioned being physically sick, too. It was obviously information she had learned during her appointment with Dr. Huerta. Once again, his wife had opted not to seek him out with her problems. However, Damon now understood that Bonnie believed that he was one of her problems. If he was honest with himself, he knew that she was probably right. He was no good for her. Damon had known that from the moment he agreed to marry Bonnie. However, she belonged to him now and he was much too selfish to let her go.

He said, "You are obviously upset…overwrought. Maybe we should wait until later to have this conversation. You wouldn't want to say anything that you might regret, Bunny."

Bonnie might have hated that nickname if not for the fact that it started with Stefan. As a toddler, he would routinely mispronounce her name. Whenever she visited the Salvatore manor as a baby, Stefan would demand to see _his bunny._ He would throw a fit if they didn't let him hold her despite the fact that he was only two years older than Bonnie was. The nickname just sort stuck around long after Stefan could pronounce her name properly.

She said, "Waiting until later is not going to change anything that I have to say, Damon. Time isn't going to change how I feel about you."

"How do you feel about me?"

"I love you more than my heart can take. I was in love with you before you ever made me your wife. My grandmother warned me that I should always remember that this relationship was a business arrangement. Youthful naiveté and puppy love blinded me to the truth in Grams' words. You have made me hate myself, Damon. Because I kept thinking that, something had to be wrong with me. Am I not pretty enough? Am I not smart enough? Am I not good enough in bed? Am I too fat? What is Katherine doing that makes him continue going back to her? It was all a mystery to me until very recently. I figured out that you love her. Then suddenly it all made perfect sense. I am the other woman and I have been from the very beginning."

Damon felt as if he were frozen in place as he listened to Bonnie explain how insignificant he had made her feel. His first instinct was to pull the girl into his arms and pledge his undying love to her because that was the truth. If he had to choose between Bonnie and Katherine, he would choose his wife without a second thought. Until this moment, he just didn't believe that he had to choose. He went to touch Bonnie but she flinched away from his touch violently.

He swallowed thickly and said, "I have made some mistakes. I am sorry, Bunny. I love you even if it doesn't seem that way sometimes. Please…"

Bonnie shook her head and took a step back to prevent Damon from trying to touch her again. She couldn't predict what she would do to him if he actually touched her. Her fingers itched to hold the switchblade tucked into her bra.

"This whole time I have been a fool. I have bent over backwards trying to make you love me. I have tried to be the perfect wife and mother. I don't complain about anything. I never ask you for more than you are willing to give me. I smile when I want to cry. I laugh when I want to scream. I have sex with you when I can't stand to see your face. I pretend that I don't know that you are sneaking into the city to see Katherine. I allowed you and your father to turn me into a prisoner in this house. I vowed to stick by your side even after your psycho father attacked me. I even gave you the keys to get the one thing you want most in life but none of it is enough. I am not enough for you and I was too stupid to see it before now."

For years, Katherine thought she would enjoy seeing the implosion of Damon's marriage. However, reality was much more heartbreaking and uncomfortable than she had anticipated. He looked more gutted by the situation than Bonnie did. Suddenly, she wondered if this girl she had aligned with understood the Pandora's Box she was opening. Damon could be truly dangerous when he felt bereft.

He licked his lips and replied, "You're not stupid. I am the one that has been stupid and blind. You are enough for me. You have always been enough for me. I'm just gluttonous and thoughtless. It was never about what you couldn't give me. You give me everything that I need. You keep me sane. You know that, right?"

She shook her head with a wry smile and said, "Stefan is the one that keeps you sane. I am glad that you are going to have him now because I need space from you. I need to put some distance between us before I do something that I can't take back, Damon. Our marriage was meant to be a business arrangement. I think that we need to go back to that. I will be your wife in name only. I will pretend in front of everyone else but you and I will both know that it isn't real. I need to figure out how to fix what is broken inside of me. I need to be better for myself and for our children. I don't want Sarah to grow up to be as pathetic as I have been. She deserves a better mother than I have been to her. I have taught her, by example, that it is fine to let a man walk all over her."

At that moment, the bottom fell out for Damon. He thought back to John's insistence on placing members of his family in the U.S. smuggling operation. Either the old man had seen the writing on the wall or Bonnie had given him a head's up. The end result was that his wife had planned this out in a way that he never knew she was capable of.

Damon tried to get through the walls that he could see Bonnie building around her. He said, "You are not pathetic. You have done nothing wrong and there is certainly nothing wrong with you. You are amazing, Bunny. You are such a good mother and Sarah is lucky to have you. I couldn't have asked for a better wife or mother for my daughter. I don't want space or distance between us. You are my family and you were that before we were married. We can work this out, Bonnie. You just have to give me a chance."

She wiped away her tears, as her voice cracked, "It's not about what you want anymore, Damon. This is about what I need. You married a child and now it is time for me to grow up. This probably would have always happened, just maybe not as drastically as it is now."

He said, "I will stop seeing Katherine for good. I will get rid of the penthouse. We will go away for a few weeks…just two of us. I'll do anything."

Bonnie was incensed that Damon was lying to her again about getting rid of Katherine. He had done this song and dance weeks ago and still decided to stay a few days in Tenerife to fuck her. Bonnie wasn't falling for it this time. There wasn't even a small part of her that wanted to believe him. He had chosen Katherine over her and now he would have to live with that choice.

Bonnie flashed a vicious smile through her tears. "I want you to continue seeing Katherine. In fact, she is the only woman that you will be seeing. I learned a valuable lesson from Jo and my mother. It was sad watching two intelligent women struggle to make one man love them. I will not waste my life in that way. You can be with Katherine as much as you like and I will not object. However, if I find out that you have started a relationship with another woman I will divorce you. No questions asked. I will drag you and Velocita through court until the shares aren't worth the paper they're printed on. And if you think that I will be satisfied seeing my daughter on weekends then you are sadly mistaken. I will excise you from my life like the cancer you are and burn all of this shit to the ground. Think of this as my gift to you. Merry Christmas, Damon."

He realized too late that he had put his foot into his mouth. Offering to cut Katherine loose only infuriated Bonnie. He had never seen her like this before. It was disorienting trying to reconcile this hardened person in front of him with his little bunny. Once again, his mind floated to all those little signs that Bonnie was hiding things from him. Damon realized now that she was hiding this. She was hiding that she was a woman that was made of stone when he believed that she was made of clay. She was not the moldable impressionable little girl that he had believed her to be. However, more striking was the fury she carried inside her. Damon knew without a shadow of doubt that Bonnie would make good on her threat if he pushed her.

He knew then that his usual bag of tricks wouldn't work with Bonnie. He needed to pull out the big guns. "Let's see a marriage counselor. I can be better. I want to be better for you, Sarah, and the twins. You all deserve better from me. Please…."

Bonnie was shocked by his offer for counseling. Damon was old school and didn't believe in telling strangers his problems. However, she would not be deterred by his last ditch effort. She walked over to a table and retrieved an envelope.

"You don't mean that and I am no mood to be appeased by empty promises. Anyway, you might want to consider family counseling first. It seems that you are a daddy again. Congratulations, you have two daughters."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he opened the envelope. He quickly skimmed the lab report because he thought that perhaps Dr. Huerta had been able to determine the gender of the twins. Suddenly, Damon's eyes shot to Katherine's face. "You can't be serious."

Bonnie gave a smug smile of satisfaction at the look on his face. She said, "Well, I am taking Sarah and going over to my mother's house for a few hours. We will be back in time for dinner. I think you and Katherine have tons to talk about. We can discuss our separation later when you are more…clearheaded. I wouldn't want you to say something that you will regret."

Damon's jaw clenched as she threw his words back into his face. He growled, "You can't think that I am going to let you leave after all of this shit."

Bonnie's red-rimmed eyes hardened. She said, "You can't think that you have the power to make me stay after all of your bullshit. There is an easy way and a hard way of doing this, Damon. Take the easy way. I have given you the whore you seem to love so much. I even proved that you have another daughter. Take the win while I still feel this generous."

He stood there in shock as he watched Bonnie walk out of the conservatory. Bonnie had said that she would be back for dinner but it felt as if she was walking away from him for good. Damon slowly sat down on the sofa and tried to make sense of what had just happened to him. Bonnie had laid waste to his life and he didn't know what to do. However, his eyes kept going back to the DNA test. He didn't even bother looking at Katherine. He asked, "Why?"

"Why didn't I tell you about Nadia?"

He didn't bother responding because she knew very well what he was asking of her. Damon couldn't believe his life had unraveled to this degree. It explained the unsettled feeling he had since Shadow Hills. He was right to be concerned about Bonnie but he could have never predicted this. This wasn't the sweet girl that he had married. She was bitter and angry but Damon knew that he had nurtured those traits in her. Whatever she was now, he had made her that way.

Katherine braced herself for Damon's reaction. She regarded him coolly and said, "Because I wasn't certain that she was your daughter. There was always a chance that Giuseppe was her father."

Damon's head whipped in her direction at the mention of his father. His eyes burned with hatred and betrayal. "You've been fucking my father?"

She spat out, "No!"

He growled, "Explain quickly and remember that I am low on patience right now. I am no mood for your fucking games, Katherine."

Katherine loved stirring the pot but she knew when to be serious. Damon's nerves were shot. Bonnie might not think that she was important to him but Katherine knew better. The only reason Damon hadn't chased after Bonnie was because she had dropped the bombshell about Nadia onto his lap.

"One night your father just showed up at my apartment, this was before I started living at penthouse. I came home from the club and he was just in my apartment waiting for me. He bribed the building manager to let him into the apartment. At first, it was just an interrogation of my intentions with you. He let me know that I was completely unsuitable to be your wife and that I could never be more than your whore. Then he moved onto how I made my living before I met you."

Damon's fists clenched because he could tell where this story was headed. Giuseppe had caused Bree to overdose on heroin while she was in recovery. He had attacked and nearly raped Bonnie. Now he was certain that the bastard had actually succeeded in raping Katherine. It was as if Giuseppe actively tried to ruin anything good in Damon's life.

"He made drinks for us and asked about my childhood. He wanted to know everything about me despite having already hired a private detective to investigate me. He must have slipped something into my drink because the next thing I remembered was waking up in my bed in the morning. I was naked, sore, and alone. Then I saw an envelope with $10,000 inside it sitting on my nightstand. He had also left behind a note thanking me for a good time. Later that day one of his goons showed up with a suitcase filled with money to buy my silence. I didn't know what to do and I thought you might break up with me if you knew the truth. I decided not to say anything but about a month later I realized that my period was late."

Damon's brain was on overload. Bonnie and Katherine had dumped too much on him at one time. He didn't know what situation he was supposed to deal with first. He didn't even know what he was supposed to be doing. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I'm sorry that Giuseppe raped you because you were involved with me. I didn't even know you were on his radar at the time. I should have protected you from him."

She shrugged her shoulders and stared out the window for a moment. Katherine didn't like thinking about Giuseppe. Being unable to remember that night was the worst part of the ordeal. Katherine's brain thought up nightmare scenarios of what he must have done to her while she was unconscious. She could tell that Damon's apology was genuine but it didn't make her feel any better.

Katherine muttered, "It's all in the past now…"

"Was it just a one-time occurrence?" he asked. "Did he ever hurt you again?"

"No. Whenever I have had the misfortune of crossing paths with your father, he always acts as if he doesn't know who I am."

He nodded and took a moment to organize the cyclone of thoughts in his mind. "Why didn't you tell me the truth after she was born, Katherine? I could have helped you out more whether she was my sister or my daughter."

She considered her words carefully. She said, "I didn't want your father near my daughter in either case. Besides, I was scared that he would try to take her from me. It was easier passing her off as my little sister. When your wife turned up on my doorstep in Tenerife, I knew it was only a matter of time before she told you about Nadia. I agreed to the paternity test to get it out of the way. I figured that if Giuseppe was Nadia's father I could just…disappear with her."

Damon couldn't blame Katherine from wanting to protect their daughter from Giuseppe. He wished more than anything that he had been able to shield Sarah from him. "Does she know? Does Nadia know that I am her father?" he asked.

Katherine shook her head.

"I want to be in her life, Katherine."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I am not trying to stop you, Damon. I could have disappeared after Bonnie showed up. I didn't. I flew home with her had a DNA test performed on Nadia. You can be as involved as you want to be in her life. But you she will never be in the same room with Giuseppe. That is where I draw the line."

Damon growled and ran a hand through his raven hair. His father was more trouble than he had ever been worth. "Fucking Giuseppe. Yeah, fine. He isn't here now but he will be back before Christmas. After he comes back, I'll visit with her at the penthouse."

The truth was Giuseppe wouldn't live past the New Year but that wasn't for Katherine or anyone else to know.

"I can live with that…"

"Does this mean she won't be staying with your mother anymore?" Damon asked.

Katherine shook her head. "There isn't a reason to hide Nadia anymore. Would it be okay if I moved Nadia into the penthouse?"

Damon frowned. "That's not really a place I want my daughter living. There isn't anywhere for her to play and I don't know what the schools are like in that area. I will put Rose to work on finding something suitable for you and Nadia. She will call you to get your input."

His reaction surprised Katherine. She realized that Bonnie knew Damon better than she thought. She nodded. "That would be fine with me. Do you want to meet Nadia today?"

He stood up and walked over to windows that faced the garden. His eyes lingered on the inflatable snow globe. The entire property had been decorated for Christmas. He nodded. "Yes, I would like to meet her today. How old is she?"

Katherine stood up. "Nadia is seven years old."

Damon took a breath and followed her out of the conservatory. They walked into the kitchen were Sophie and Nadia were eating cookies and watching _The Year Without Santa Claus._

Sophie straightened up when Damon entered the kitchen. "Good afternoon, Mr. Salvatore."

He nodded. "Good afternoon, Sophie. Leave us, please.''

"Of course, sir." Sophie smiled at Nadia and then quickly left the kitchen. She didn't know what was going on but she knew better than to snoop in the Salvatore home.

Katherine held her hand out for Nadia. "There is someone I want you to meet, sunshine."

Nadia hopped down from the barstool and walked over to her mother. She took Katherine's hand and stood beside her. Nadia looked up at Damon with curiosity.

Damon said, "We should take this conversation into the living room where we can be comfortable."

Katherine nodded in agreement and followed him out of the kitchen.

Damon and Katherine settled down on the couch with Nadia seated between them.

The brunette woman asked, "Do you remember how I said that sometimes parents can't always be with their little ones despite how much they love them."

Nadia nodded. It was the way Katherine explained her frequent absences from the girl's life.

Damon felt genuinely nervous. There was no way of knowing how she would take the news.

"Well, for a long time your daddy wasn't able to be with you but you were always in his heart. Things are different now and he wanted very much to meet you. This is my friend, Damon Salvatore, and he is your daddy."

Nadia stared at Damon hard for a moment. "Tu es sûre maman?"

Katherine nodded and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Mais c'est le papa de Sarah."

Damon said, "Oui, je suis le père de Sarah, mais je suis aussi ton père, petit."

Nadia's eyes went as wide as saucers. She asked, "Tu parles français aussi?"

"Oui, je parle français. Ma mère m'a appris quand j'avais votre âge. Qui vous a enseigné?"

"Ma grand-mère," she replied in a quiet voice. Her voice went lower as she asked, "Est-ce que Sarah est ma soeur? J'ai toujours voulu une sœur."

Katherine was taken aback by Nadia's admission. She had never mentioned the idea of having siblings before now.

Damon's lips curved into a smile. He nodded. "Yes, Sarah is your sister. She is two years younger than you are. I can already tell that you are going to be a great big sister."

Nadia gave a wide smile.

 **Translations**

"Tu es sûre maman?"/ "Are you sure, Mommy?"

"Mais c'est le papa de Sarah."/ "But he's Sarah's daddy."

"Oui, je suis le père de Sarah, mais je suis aussi ton père, petit."/ "Yes, I am Sara's dad, but I'm your dad, too."

"Tu parles français aussi?"/ "You speak French, too?

"Oui, je parle français. Ma mère m'a appris quand j'avais votre âge. Qui vous a enseigné?"/ "Yes, I speak French. My mother taught me when I was your age. Who taught you?"

"Ma grand-mère,"/ "My grandmother,"

"Est-ce que Sarah est ma soeur? J'ai toujours voulu une sœur."/ "Is Sarah my sister? I always wanted a sister."


	31. Falling In Love With The Beast

Hey Everyone! I just want to say that I am so sorry for the huge gap between chapters. Long story short, my computer went kaput because I am one of the most frugal (re: cheapest) people you will ever meet. I have been putting off buying a new computer for well over a year and it finally bit me in my keister. I have been working like a mad woman trying to play catch up. I am still behind :-(. However, I didn't want to make you all wait any longer. I hope you like this chapter and please excuse if it is a little rougher than normal.

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Nearly two hours ago, Bonnie had walked out of the Salvatore Manor with her head held high. She knew with certainty that separating from Damon was the right decision. However, she would not deceive herself by pretending that she was not heartbroken. Bonnie loved Damon and probably always would. The girl had fallen for the mobster before she was old enough to understand the true price. Unfortunately, her love for him had morphed into something dark and twisted. The toxicity of their relationship was on full display while they argued in the conservatory. Bonnie had struggled to ignore the overwhelming urge to slash Damon's handsome face with her switchblade. Her words, while brutal, did not even begin to rival the pain he had inflicted on her for four years. She would never receive true recompense from him.

Ultimately, Bonnie made the decision to focus on having a good life. Revenge was sweet but it took so much energy. Bonnie recognized that vengeance had the ability to become all-consuming and rarely did it ever bring satisfaction. Ruining Damon's life would not give her back four wasted years of her life. It would not give her back a single tear that she had cried over him. It would not knit together the tattered pieces of her self-esteem. The only outcome would be delving deeper into the violent madness that the Salvatore Family equated with love. Bonnie knew that it was better to focus all of her energy on the things that truly mattered—her children. She had the ability to save them from the poison that had infected her husband's very soul.

Bonnie was not naïve enough to believe that Damon would simply allow her to walk away from him without a fight. His male pride wouldn't allow him to stomach such a brutal rejection. Somehow, he had deluded himself into believing that he owned Bonnie because she was his wife. She would just have to disabuse him of that notion firmly. The young mother was prepared for the intense conversation she would have with Damon after dinner. Bonnie planned to inform her husband that she and Sarah would be moving into the beach house soon. Before she left for Tenerife, Bonnie had paid through the nose to get an interior decorator to overhaul the house in three weeks. The project was moving on schedule and would be ready by next weekend. Fortunately, the changes were limited to new furniture, fresh paint on the walls, and upgraded kitchen appliances. The five bedroom and 6.5 bathroom beach house was the perfect landing spot for Bonnie's little family.

Bonnie wasn't looking forward to breaking news of the separation to Sarah. That little girl loved her daddy with all of her heart. Moreover, it wasn't just Damon that they would be leaving. Sarah had grown up in a house filled with cousins, uncles, and aunts. Even some of the long-time staff members were like extended relatives in some ways. Bonnie hated that she would have to break her daughter's heart. However, she knew from experience just how resilient children could be in the face of adversity. Sarah would be sad for a time but she would acclimate to the changes eventually. Bonnie planned to do everything in her power to ensure that happened.

After leaving the Salvatore manor, mother and daughter had gone to a spa. Bonnie treated them to manicures, pedicures, and facials. She had even allowed Sarah to get her ears pierced. Caroline had taken Sarah and Bella to get their ears pierced as babies. Unfortunately, Sarah's ears had become infected after a week. Damon had removed the tiny stud earrings and allowed the piercings to close naturally. Recently, Sarah had been asking to have her ears pierced like Bella. Bonnie and Damon had discussed the matter and decided that it would be okay to try again now that Sarah was older. She was well aware that this afternoon with her daughter could be considered a bribe. However, her grams had always done something special when there was going to be a major change in Bonnie's life. Sheila wanted to reinforce that despite changes in Bonnie's life she would always be a constant. Bonnie wanted to do the same thing for Sarah.

Tyler pulled up in front of Abby's house and turned off the engine. He climbed out of the car and opened Bonnie's door. Tyler hadn't been able to stop smiling since overhearing her cut Damon down to size. He had been standing outside the conservatory just in case Damon had reacted violently. Fortunately, his intervention hadn't been necessary.

The green-eyed girl climbed out of the town car and asked, "Could you get our bags from the trunk?"

He nodded. Tyler was glad that Bonnie intended to stay with Abby until the beach house was ready. He didn't trust Damon's ability to restrain himself once he realized that this situation wouldn't simply blow over. "Sure. I will bring them inside for you."

"Thanks, Ty." She lightly squeezed his arm as she walked by him.

Sarah asked, "Can I ring the bell, Mama?"

Bonnie smiled and said, "Go ahead."

The girl raced to the front door and pushed the doorbell. Sarah grinned when she heard the chimes playing a cheerful melody.

Bonnie's smile faltered when Ric opened the door. She hadn't anticipated him being there. Bonnie had assumed that Ric would want to go home to his wife and daughters after being away for so long.

Sarah beamed up at him and launched herself into his arms. "Hi, Zio."

He smiled and hugged his great-niece before setting her down. "Hi, sweetheart. It is good seeing both of you. I was planning to stop by the manor later to check in with everyone."

Bonnie said, "I seem to have really awful timing. I am sorry for intruding, Ric. We can leave."

Ric was surprised to see Bonnie and Sarah at the front door. He knew that Damon had been excited about getting home to see his wife and daughter. He could only assume that his idiot nephew had done or said something to upset the girl. However, Ric couldn't imagine what Damon could have done after being home for only a few hours. "You don't have to leave. You aren't interrupting anything. I was just helping Abby cook dinner. Come inside."

Sarah ran by him and shouted, "Cooper? Where are you?"

Bonnie smiled tentatively and walked into the house. "I guess we're staying."

Tyler walked into the house carrying a couple of suitcases.

Ric eyed the bags suspiciously. He hoped that Bonnie wasn't attempting to leave Damon. He knew that his nephew would never go for that.

Abby walked out of the kitchen. "Is that Sarah Alessandra that I hear?"

Sarah nodded excitedly and hugged Abby's waist. "Hi, Nonna! Look at my nails. Mama took me to a spa."

The older woman examined the blush pink polish on the girl's fingernails. "Oh, they look beautiful. Did you have fun with your mama?"

She nodded and said, "The lady painted my toe nails, too. See."

Abby chuckled as Sarah tried to stand on foot so that she could take off her shoe. She kissed the top of the girl's head. "You can show me your toes later. I am going to want to hear all about your trip to the spa."

"Okay, Nonna. Where is Cooper?"

"He's in the backyard with Jamie and Seline. Why don't you go out there and see what they are doing? They just might be playing on the trampoline."

Sarah beamed up at her. "Okay!"

Abby and Bonnie chuckled as they watched Sarah tear out of the living room in search of her young uncles.

Bonnie lifted an amused eyebrow at her mother's apron. The black apron depicted Marlon Brando as _The Godfather_. "Interesting choice in aprons."

Abby took off the apron as she walked over to her daughter. She laughed softly. "It was meant to be a gag gift from Gianni. Of course the joke is on him because I love it."

She shook her head with a small smile. "I was telling Ric that I didn't mean to intrude."

"You aren't intruding, baby girl. I am glad that you are here. Is everything okay?"

"I, uh, I did what I said that I was going to do," Bonnie answered in a quiet voice.

Abby was frozen in place for a beat. She knew that Bonnie planned to separate from Damon. However, she had worried that her daughter's love for the man would ultimately win out. Abby had never been so happy to be wrong. She pulled Bonnie into her arms without warning and hugged her fiercely.

Bonnie sagged into the embrace without thought. Until now, she hadn't realized how much she needed a hug from her mother. She was wiped out from all of the emotions that had spilled out of her earlier. However, she had kept it together because that was what Sarah needed from her.

Abby stepped back and cradled the girl's face in her hands. "Oh, look at my brave girl. I am so proud of you. Do you hear me?"

She nodded.

"How did it go?" she asked tentatively. Abby's eyes carefully studied her daughter's appearance for even a hint of violence.

She shook her head. "I told Damon the truth about how I feel. I gave him my terms and explained what would happen if he violated them. We didn't get to talk much after I gave him the test results. I am sure he's still at the manor with Katherine."

The older woman huffed out a laugh. She said, "You did it without rat poison. Kudos."

Ric hoped that he had heard the girl wrong. He couldn't imagine a scenario where his nephew would disrespect Bonnie by inviting Katherine into their home. Some lines just couldn't be crossed. Ric tried his best to keep Jo and Abby separate as much as possible. However, it was difficult because of how the Salvatore and Benedettos families were intertwined. Unfortunately, all of his hard work had been for naught because he was certain now that Jo knew about his affair. He was avoiding going home for that reason. Alaric was stalling the inevitable conversation he needed to have with Jo.

"Is it still okay if Sarah and I stay here for awhile?" she asked.

"It is more than okay, baby girl. You and Sarah are welcome here at anytime. I had Seline make a copy of the keys so that you can come and go as you please. I cleaned out that closet in the first floor guest suite for your things. You and Sarah can share the suite. Or Sarah could stay in the guest room on the second floor if you want a little privacy."

Ric cleared his throat. "Would anyone mind cluing me into what is going on here? Bonnie and Sarah can't be seriously moving in here."

Bonnie tensed at his tone. She looked up at her mother. "Maybe this was a bad idea, Mama. I don't want to cause trouble between you and Ric. I can go somewhere else."

However, both women knew that Bonnie didn't have anywhere else to go. Abby was the only family member that lived in the area and the girl didn't exactly have any close friends outside of Caroline and Hayley. She couldn't stay with either of them. Abby also knew that Bonnie would not feel safe at the beach house while tradespersons came in and out to do their jobs.

"You are not causing any trouble here, baby girl. Ric might have bought this house but he was dumb enough to put the deed in my name. Therefore, this here is my house. If he doesn't like the idea of you and Sarah being here then he can fuck off back to Jo's house."

"I just got home. Do you really want to start this shit with me?" he snapped.

Abby smiled prettily at Ric but her eyes warned him of the danger. "I am not starting anything, Alaric. I am simply saying that my daughter and granddaughter are always welcome in my home. If that is a problem then you can remove yourself from my home. I don't really care either way."

An awkward silence filled the room as the couple glared daggers at one another.

Ric was the first to break. He muttered, "I need a drink."

The older Bennett woman looked at Tyler and said, "Take those bags to the guest suite, sweetheart. It is around the corner and at the end of the hall. The door is open so you can't miss it."

Tyler tried hard to hide his amusement at Alaric's predicament. He said, "Yes, Ma'am. I am sure that I will find it."

Ric growled, "We need to talk, Abigail. Now."

Abby smiled at Bonnie. "You should go unpack your things. You can get a feel for if the guest suite is big enough to share with Sarah. I will come find you once I finish speaking to Ric. Then the two of us will talk about how everything went down with Damon. Are you hungry? I can bring a snack, too."

"Mama…" Bonnie tried.

"Hush now. Go on to the guest room, baby girl," Abby said. There was no way she was going to let Ric run her daughter out of a house that she owned.

Bonnie gave up on arguing with her mother. It was pointless to belabor the point when Abby was being obstinate. She had to admit it was nice knowing that Abby was choosing her. Bonnie had worried that her mother might change her mind once she was face to face with Alaric. She wouldn't have blamed Abby for doing what caused the least friction in her already strained relationship. Bonnie had put up with plenty of bullshit in order to keep the peace with Damon—until now.

Ric waited until Bonnie disappeared from sight. "What the hell is going on?"

She said, "Bonnie and Sarah need a place to stay for awhile. She is separating from Damon. Your nephew has been quite the busy boy but then you know that because you were in Tenerife with him a couple weeks ago. Do I even want to know what you were doing while Damon was screwing around with his mistress? I hope you know that we won't be having sex until you've undergone an STD test."

His jaw dropped as he silently cursed his idiot nephew for putting him in this position. "How do you know that we were in Tenerife?"

Abby's hazel eyes flashed dangerously. "I realize that you both think that my daughter is young and naïve but I sincerely hope that you don't think me to be old and dumb. I still talk to my family back home. When you didn't arrive on time I made some inquiries to find out where the plane had landed."

"I would never think that about you, Abby. We stopped in Tenerife for a few days so that Damon could see Katherine. I didn't sleep with anyone while we were there. I spent most of my time drunk or arguing with Stefan."

The woman's unimpressed expression spoke to her level of skepticism. She said, "Well, Bonnie flew to Tenerife once you all were in Milazzo so that she could confront Damon's mistress. If you want more details then perhaps you should speak to your nephew. Meanwhile, I will worry about tending to my daughter. But don't begin to think that you can dictate what I do in my house with my child."

Ric sighed and said, "Now you are angry with me again. I said that I didn't fuck anyone while I was in Tenerife."

"I am not angry with you, Alaric. I don't actually care what you did right now. I am more concerned about my daughter and granddaughter. This is not your mess…it is mine. I should have taken Bonnie far away from my mother and your family when I had the chance. Instead, I have to watch my daughter suffer through a loveless marriage with no chance of escape. I did this to her and I am going to do my best to help her through it. Your family is a curse…it is a poison. Even if you will never admit it to me, you know this to be true."

Ric groaned as he watched Abby walk out of the room. This was the last thing they needed when Damon had just secured Big John's support. Bonnie talking about a separation instead of a divorce was a small miracle. However, he saw clearly that Big John had played them from the outset. He obviously knew what was coming down the pike when he insisted on having blood members of the Benedetto family assist Damon with managing the smuggling operation.

He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a large glass of scotch. Alaric finished the drink in three hurried gulps.

Tyler entered the kitchen. "Uh, Abby sent me in here to get something for Bonnie to eat."

Ric nodded and motioned for Tyler to get on with it.

He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the plastic container that Abby had described. Tyler grabbed a bottle of water as well before leaving the kitchen.

Alaric took out his phone and called Damon. He waited impatiently for the little bastard to answer his call as he poured a second drink. As soon as Damon answered, he asked, "What the fuck did you do?"

" _It's always nice to hear from you, Zio. We have such a warm and fuzzy relationship. Can I take this to mean that my wife and daughter are at your house?"_

He walked into the living room and began pacing as his anxiety levels continued to rise. Alaric ranted, "Yes, they're here with suitcases, Damon. Now Abby is giving me grief because of your insistence on stopping in Tenerife. And please, tell me that Katherine wasn't really at the fucking manor."

 _Damon groaned. "Bonnie is the one that invited Katherine to the house. They ambushed me! It's all fucked up, Zio. I'm down the block from your house now. I was already on my way when you called. I tried calling Bonnie but she hasn't been answering my calls."_

"I don't want any fighting here, Damon. My kids and your daughter are in this house," he warned.

" _I'm not going to fight with Bonnie. If she wants to stay a few nights with Abby…I won't put up a fight."_

Ric frowned because he knew it had to be a dire situation if Damon was trying to be reasonable. "Is it truly that bad?"

" _Worse. I'll fill you in when I get there," he replied._

The older man ended the call and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

Tyler walked into the room. "I'm going to be out in the car if anyone needs me."

Ric hoped the kid would stay in the car and avoid Damon at all costs. Tyler would be a convenient target for his nephew's rage. Ric wasn't interested in breaking up a fight right now. Frankly, he was ready to wring Damon's neck for bringing his marital drama to his doorstep. He didn't need Damon's bullshit to upset the balance in his relationship with Abby. The love of his life was obviously ready for a fight but Ric wasn't about to fall into that trap. He couldn't win in a fight with Abby.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the front door.

He glanced out the peephole to confirm it was his nephew before opening the door. "Hurry up and get in here," he muttered.

"Where are they?" Damon asked without preamble.

"Abby is helping Bonnie get settled into the guest suite. Sarah is outside with my kids and Seline."

He walked into the house and closed the door. "I have another daughter," he blurted out.

Ric plopped down onto the couch and lifted an eyebrow at that. "Come again."

"I have a daughter with Katherine. Her name is Nadia and she is seven years old. She speaks French fluently. She's amazing, Zio," Damon explained.

Alaric's spine straightened at this new information. "You told me that Nadia was some other guy's kid."

He sat down across from his uncle and said, "At the time, I assumed that was the situation. I couldn't understand why Katherine would hide the truth from me if it meant a bigger payday. A mistress is one thing, but the mother of my child is a completely different tax bracket."

Alaric couldn't argue with his nephew's logic there. However, he couldn't believe that Damon hadn't thought to get a paternity test to be safe. He hardly needed Katherine's permission for that. It was as simple as having someone break into the mother's house to steal a toothbrush or a hairbrush that belonged to the little girl. "Did Katherine explain why she lied to you for this long?"

He nodded as his jaw clenched in anger. "She didn't tell me the truth because of Giuseppe. He raped her and then had one of our guys pay Katherine for her silence. She was scared that Nadia was his daughter and that he would take her."

The older man stilled when he learned that his older brother had raped another woman. He ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck…"

"Yeah, tell me about it. I had to promise Katherine that Giuseppe would never be in the same room with Nadia. She's scared…"

It wasn't lost on Alaric that all of the women in their lives feared Giuseppe. They saw him for the monster that he was. These women saw the sexual predator that Alaric tried so hard to ignore. However, he supposed it was easy for him to ignore such a thing when he would never be the target of that sort of violence from his brother. Abby had accused him of cowardice when she first learned of Giuseppe's attack on Bonnie. She was right.

Ric put down his empty glass and asked, "How did all of this happen?"

"Bonnie tracked Katherine down in Tenerife and convinced her to get a DNA test to prove that I was Nadia's father. Then she invited her to the manor after I told her that I was coming home today. She laid into me about being a shit husband and then said that we are married in name only now. She wants space….whatever the fuck that means. Bonnie said that I could keep seeing Katherine but threatened me with a messy divorce if she finds out that I've picked up another mistress along the way."

Ric just stared at Damon in shock because that didn't sound like the Bonnie he had watched grow up. She wasn't duplicitous or vicious. It just wasn't in her nature. He lowered his voice. "Do you have another mistress?"

Damon looked a bit guilty. "I wouldn't call her a mistress but I do see this woman on occasion. Andie helps me relax. I don't know if Bonnie knows about her or not but…"

"You don't think her threat of a messy divorce was idle," he finished

He shook his head and groaned. "No, she definitely meant it. I'll put an end to things with Andie tonight. As far as, what I am going to do about Bonnie…I have no idea."

Ric said, "Separate rooms."

Damon looked up. "What?"

"She's probably going to want separate rooms. My mother did when she finally grew tired of my dad running around on her with Zach's mother. They got separate rooms and basically lived separate lives until he and Cecilia were killed in that plane crash."

He scoffed. "That's not happening with me and Bonnie. She is my wife. She is angry right now but there is no way I am agreeing to this space bullshit for a prolonged time. I'll give her a few days to calm down but no more than that."

Ric shook his head at the younger man's denseness. He said, "You need to be careful how you handle this, Damon. Bonnie is pregnant she doesn't need to be stressed out by your bullshit. Also, this isn't just your marriage we are talking about here. A nasty divorce could gut Velocita. Not to mention you saw how fond Big John is of Bonnie and Abby. We would lose our relationship with the Benedetto family if this all goes to shit."

"I know! You don't think that I know all of that, Zio? I don't want to screw up our business situation but I am more concerned with keeping my wife. She is mine. Bonnie belongs with me and I am not letting her leave me. We'll work this out," he swore with unearned confidence.

He shook his head but knew it was useless to talk the boy out of anything. Damon would have to learn his lessons the hard way.

Damon said, "I want to see Bonnie. I need to talk to her. Hopefully, she's had a couple of hours to cool down so that we can both behave rationally."

"Go at your own peril. Abby is in rare form. She isn't happy with our whole family right now. She called us a curse and a poison. They are in the guest suite. It's down the hall on the left."

Damon huffed but thought that Abby might be right. Salvatore men tended to destroy the women that had the misfortune of entering their orbit. "Thanks, Zio."

He walked down the hall but stopped just outside of the bedroom door. It was slightly ajar so he could hear the voices inside.

Abby said, "I am proud of you, Bonnie. I know what you did today wasn't easy."

"I have to stop loving Damon because he will destroy me if I don't. I wanted to have Katherine killed in front of him to hurt him, Mama. That's not who I am. It's not even who I want to be. I have been thinking a lot about the moment I fell in love with him. I mean…I have always thought he was hot and he was always sweet to me. Nevertheless, there was a moment where I fell in love with Damon and I can remember it as clear as day. I was 13 years old and Giuseppe decided to take us all to Tenerife for a month that summer."

Abby smiled. "I remember that. Jamie and I joined all of you for the last two weeks of the trip."

Bonnie nodded and said, "Giuseppe told Damon that he could host a party on the yacht for his birthday. His only condition was that he had to take me and Stefan with him."

She rolled her eyes. "He probably just wanted some time alone with your grams. The villa in Tenerife was a little tight on space when we were all there at the same time."

"Exactly. Anyway, Damon begrudgingly agreed because he knew that Giuseppe wasn't going to change his mind. It was a great party and I was having so much fun. Damon was too busy whoring it up with the local talent to notice that Stefan and I were drinking champagne and liquor. I was dancing with some older girls when I heard laughing coming from behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw this group of guys around Damon's age. He had gone to college with a couple of them. I didn't know what they were laughing at until I overhead one of them ask who had let the nigger on board. He said that someone should tell me that the yacht wasn't a slave ship."

Abby tensed as she heard the venom that had been directed at her daughter. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly shocking. In her travels, she had encountered racism both overt and covert. Sometimes it came from the most surprising places and people. Other times it was exactly what she expected.

"I had never been called that before. I was shocked, angry, and embarrassed. I ran below deck to one of the staterooms and accidentally walked in on Damon getting a blowjob from some girl. He barked at me for barging in without knocking until he saw that I was crying. I tried apologizing while backing out of the room but he told me to stop. Damon zipped up and kicked the girl out of the room. Then he asked me what was wrong. He thought that Stefan and I had gotten into another one of our childish fights but then I told him what happened. His face...he looked like the devil. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back up on deck. He ordered them to shut off the music and then made me point out the man who had called me that word. Once I did, it was as if a switch was flipped."

Abby knew exactly what she meant about a switch being flipped. She had witnessed it in all of the Salvatore boys except for Stefan. They could be sweet and loving one moment and remorseless killers in the next. The Benedettos were similar in that way. Sheila had been a devout Catholic that had no problem slaughtering her enemies with her own two hands and then going to Mass to pray. She never prayed for forgiveness because that would have been disingenuous.

Bonnie said, "Damon beat the poor bastard bloody while everyone just watched in horror—except for me. I loved every minute of it. I didn't close my eyes or shy away from the violence. I wanted him to kill the bastard. Well, he didn't because there was a party full of witnesses but he came close enough. Then he made this grown man get on his knees in front of me. Damon told him that I was worth more than every single person in his family. If he wanted them to continue living, he would need to beg for my forgiveness. So, this man that he beat half to death is bleeding at my feet and blubbering for mercy and forgiveness. I looked into Damon's eyes and I saw that he meant it. He would have wiped out this poor fuck's entire family to avenge me. I let him plead for his life for a few minutes before finally accepting his apology. But Damon wasn't done. He forced that guy to kneel on the deck for three hours until the party ended. Everyone just ignored him as if he wasn't even there once the music was turned on again. The rest of the night Damon kept me tucked against his side and I was in love because he was my knight in shining armor. No one except for grams had ever showed me that kind of love before. No one else had ever made me a priority. Now I am not sure that he even likes me all the time."

Abby said, "I am so sorry, baby."

She shook her head. "I am okay, Mama. Leaving Damon won't be easy but I am going to be okay."

"You are strong. You are so much stronger than I have ever been," Abby replied.

Bonnie said, "You are strong, too."

She laughed softly. "I doubt anyone would agree with you."

"I can't imagine the guts it took to say no to Grams. You stood up to her and took control of your own life. You weathered years of her disapproval and disdain. I know that she cut you off financially for years, too. I couldn't have done what you did."

Abby said, "I should have taken you with me. It wouldn't have been an easy life but you would have known without a doubt that you were loved."

"I know now and I appreciate the way you have had my back, Mama. I am going to do better for Sarah and the twins. I am going to surround them with love and positive role models. I am so ashamed that I allowed Sarah to be around Giuseppe for this long. I knew what he was. I knew it was only a matter of time."

"You have no reason to feel ashamed. You are getting her out of that house now and that is what matters. You are going to break the sick cycle in our family."

Bonnie went quiet for a moment. A question had been on her mind for a while. However, there had never been anyone to ask. "Did Giuseppe abuse Grams when you were little? We he always like this?"

Abby's heart dropped at her daughter's question. She knew that Bonnie had probably witnessed the same level of violence as she had as a child. The guilt of her poor decisions hung around her neck like an albatross.

She nodded. "I just didn't understand that it was abuse at the time. Your grams was fierce. She didn't take shit from anyone. She couldn't because she was a woman running a criminal organization. She loved that bastard despite his many faults. This one time Giuseppe came to visit us in Shadow Hills. He was drunk and angry about something. I couldn't have been more than eight years old at the time. He freaked out, broke a plate, and threw it in Mama's face. It sliced her good and there was blood everywhere. I was screaming…I was scared for her. But your grams, she didn't shed a single tear. She grabbed a half-empty wine bottle and busted that asshole across the face. It broke his fucking nose."

The girl nodded because it had been much of the same when she was a child. Giuseppe would become extremely angry about something that was seemingly innocuous. He would lash out at Sheila and hurt her in some brutal way. Then Sheila would pick up something heavy to knock fire out of him. Afterwards, they would pretend as if it never happened. It was a sick pattern that Bonnie had watched play out too many times to count.

Abby said, "I need to tell you something."

"Is something wrong?"

She smiled a little. "No, there isn't anything wrong. I just wanted to let you know that Rudy is coming into town. He's been up North for a about a week and change. But he'll be coming down this way in a few days."

Bonnie blinked. "Why?"

"He just wants to visit."

The girl leveled a skeptical look at her mother.

Abby smiled. "I might have told him that you were pregnant and in need of your parents."

"Mama…"

She said, "No, you listen to me. Your father is a stubborn man. He is prideful to a fault. He made a mistake when you were a teenager. He should have been the adult instead of returning the anger you unleashed of him. He realized the foolishness of his actions almost immediately but Rudy felt that he couldn't take it back. Your father has his flaws but he would gladly skin anyone alive and turn them into a three piece luggage set if it meant keeping you safe."

Bonnie stifled a laugh and asked, "A three piece luggage set? Is there enough skin on a human body for that?"

The older woman huffed out a laugh. "I never said how large the luggage pieces had to be. The point is that there isn't anything Rudy wouldn't do to keep you safe. I'm not suggesting that you run into his arms but give him a chance."


	32. Calculated Retreat

Damon didn't know for how long he had eavesdropped on Bonnie and Abby's conversation. However, it was long enough to learn that his wife planned to move into the beach house with their daughter. It wasn't until that moment that he finally understood what was happening. Bonnie spoke of distance and space but she was essentially divorcing Damon without the paperwork. That stunning revelation shook the mobster to his very core. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he had fled Ric and Abby's house as if he were on fire. Damon knew that he could not face Bonnie when he was this close to the edge. He didn't want his temper to push her further away from him—if that was even possible.

He struggled to understand how his marriage had devolved to this point. The simple answer was that he had neglected his wife since the day they exchanged their vows. Foolishly, Damon had believed that he was successfully hiding his extracurricular activities from her. However, it seemed more likely that Bonnie had given Damon enough rope to hang himself. He could only assume that his actions after Giuseppe's attack on Bonnie had sealed his fate. In retrospect, he saw that Bonnie had given him an opportunity to get himself right. While they were in Shadow Hills, she admitted to knowing about his affair with Katherine. Furthermore, Bonnie had confessed that she had fallen in love with him against all odds. A good man, or even a marginally better man, would have heeded his wife's words. However, he had been too stubborn and arrogant to recognize the warning signs.

Damon had been shocked to learn when and how Bonnie had fallen in love with him. He had wrongly assumed that the girl's crush had started a few years later. The memories from his 23rd birthday were more than a little hazy. He was practically mainlining cocaine and bourbon that entire trip. He had been blitzed out of his skull that night. It was the only logical way to explain why he had thought it wise to beat a man nearly to death in front of an impressionable 13-year-old girl. He could have emotionally scarred her for life. Although, it seemed more likely that Bonnie had been desensitized to violence long before that fateful night.

He did not have to imagine the violent acts the girl had witnessed his father committing against Sheila. He knew from experience that challenging the abusive alcoholic only enraged him more. However, the alternative was curling up in a ball and allowing Giuseppe to wail on them until he grew tired. Damon had abandoned that strategy by the time he was a teenager. He had preferred to go down swinging rather than to take a beating like a good little punching bag. The sickest part of it all was that Giuseppe respected him more for fighting back. Damon wondered if that was why his father had loved Sheila and despised Lilly.

Damon drove around aimlessly after leaving Ric and Abby's house. He couldn't go home. The manor would be too much of a reminder of what he was losing. Furthermore, he ran the risk of Bonnie returning to discuss the details of their separation. He realized that the move was cowardly. He was only delaying the inevitable. However, he needed a plan before speaking to Bonnie. He couldn't let her catch him off guard again. Moreover, he needed to be in complete control of his emotions. He had never hit a woman and didn't have any plans to start now. However, getting into a screaming match with his pregnant wife wasn't wise. Damon had no doubt that he would blow his brains out if he caused Bonnie to miscarry their twins.

He knew that convincing Bonnie to give him another chance was going to be next to impossible in the immediate future. She was not only moving out of the manor but she was building a familial support system around herself. She had Abby and Lucy that would certainly support her decision to kick him to the curb. Furthermore, Damon figured that her Benedetto cousins from Milazzo would be of the same mindset. However, Rudy coming into town was perhaps the biggest wildcard of all. The older man had the appearance of a mild mannered accountant but he was as lethal as they came in their business. He had rightfully earned the moniker 'The Butcher'. It spoke to just how terrifying Sheila had to be in order to force a man of his caliber to abandon his daughter and his country without as much as a token fight.

Ultimately, Damon decided that he was not going to think of a brilliant solution on his own. His way of thinking was what had landed him in this position. He needed help from people that could be more rational than he was being right now. His best idea was throwing Bonnie over his shoulder and carrying her as far away from everyone else as possible. However, he knew that it was naive to pretend as if outside forces were responsible for their marital problems. Reluctantly, he sent texts to Zach, Ric, and Stefan asking them to meet him at the Claiborne Hotel. He wasn't looking forward to his uncles and brother's self-righteous lectures but he was desperate. He also sent several texts to Rose giving her a heads up about the situation. Damon was certain that Rose would bitch at him, too. They had all warned him but he had ignored them. Damon had believed that he knew best because Bonnie never complained.

He made a beeline for the bar when he arrived at the Claiborne. He needed a drink or ten before he had to face his disapproving brother and uncles. Fortunately, the bartender knew him well and immediately dug out the best bottle of bourbon they had on the premises. She was walking towards Damon before he had even motioned for her.

"Good evening, Mr. Salvatore," the young woman said. She placed a glass in front of him and filled it almost to the brim.

He pulled out his wallet and dropped his credit card on the bar. He said, "Leave the bottle."

"Yes, sir. Will you be staying with us this evening?" she asked.

Damon looked down at his wedding band before downing the glass of bourbon in three large gulps. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I believe that I will, sweetheart. I'd like my usual suite and a properly stocked bar."

She nodded in understanding. "I will be sure to stock your bar personally, Mr. Salvatore. I'll go notify Mr. Lawrence of your arrival now."

"Thank you," he muttered and refilled his glass.

The bartender motioned to someone else to cover her place behind the bar before she scurried off to find the general manager.

Damon finished his second glass of bourbon as quickly as he had finished the first. He hoped that the liquor would do something to soothe the pain in his chest. At the very least, he hoped that it would numb him somewhat. Damon didn't know what he would do if he continued to feel this broken while left to his own devices. His wife didn't believe that he loved her but she couldn't have been more wrong. Bonnie was the air in his lungs. She was the very blood pumping through his veins. Bonnie had said earlier that Stefan kept Damon sane and she was right about that. However, Bonnie and Sarah were equally important. His wife and daughter made him happy. Damon had never felt true happiness before them. He used to confuse his hedonistic life of drugs, booze, and women for happiness. He knew better now.

A gray-haired Black man walked up to the bar. "Good evening, Mr. Salvatore. We are happy to have you staying with us this evening. Your preferred suite will be ready in approximately thirty minutes. I am sorry for the delay."

He reached out and took the keycard that the older man was extending to him. He smiled wryly. "It's not as if I gave you any advance warning. I am not sure how long I will be staying here. I may stay for a few days or it may be more than that. You have my card on file, right?"

"Yes, we do. We will be delighted to have you here for as long as you would like, Mr. Salvatore. Do you have any special requests?" He added, "Aside from the upgrade to the suite's selection of spirits?"

Damon shook his head. "No, that will be all."

Mr. Lawrence said, "I will notify you when the suite is ready. In the meantime, I will be at the front desk if you have any questions or requests."

"Thank you," Damon replied.

The older man nodded in acknowledgement and returned to his post at the front desk.

Damon refilled his glass again and then eyed the barrel aged liquid. It looked as if he was contemplating not drinking it. However, he quickly dispelled the idea and emptied the contents of the glass down his gullet. Damon replayed the day's events in his mind on a loop. He was thunderstruck by how meticulously Bonnie had planned this ambush. She had not left a single detail to chance. It was conniving, calculating, manipulative, and somewhat sexy. Damon didn't know if Bonnie had always been this way or if this was a new development. He was reminded of the many times Zacharias had implored him to get to know Bonnie. If he had taken his uncle's advice perhaps, he wouldn't have been blindsided by this. Better yet, maybe they would have never gotten to this point. However, he had hurt Bonnie too much and far too often.

The blue-eyed mobster refilled his glass and put it to his lips. However, he stopped short of drinking when he felt someone's hand resting on his shoulder. Damon looked up and saw that it was Zach. There was something steadying about the older man's presence. "Thanks for coming, Zio."

Zach sat down beside his nephew and placed an overnight bag on the barstool beside him. He had planned to spend the evening with his family. However, the possibility of Damon spiraling out of control took precedence. Fortunately, Meredith understood that his nephew was a ticking time bomb. Zach needed to be there to defuse him.

He said, "You need your family at a time like this. Rose is worried about you. I am, too."

"You spoke to Rose?" he asked curiously.

The older man nodded as he motioned for the bartender to bring over another glass. "She called me after receiving your flurry of text messages."

She placed the glass in front of Zach and asked, "Can I get anything else for you, sir?"

Zach looked at his nephew and asked, "When is the last time you've eaten?"

Damon shrugged. "On the plane, I guess…"

He refrained from rolling his eyes. Instead, he asked, "Do you happen to have a room service menu handy, hon?"

She nodded, "Yes, sir." She grabbed two menus from a stack and handed them to Zach.

"I'm not hungry," Damon muttered once the bartender had moved away from them.

"I didn't ask if you were hungry," was Zach's stern retort. "You are guzzling bourbon as if it were water. You need something to soak up some of the booze. I don't plan to spend my night watching you die from alcohol poisoning."

He snapped, "I didn't ask you here to play mother hen."

Zach didn't bother commenting on his nephew's petulant attitude. Damon could be an annoying little asshole even when he wasn't on the brink of an emotional breakdown. He said, "Pour a glass for me. I'll be back."

Damon watched as his uncle took the menu and left the bar area. He filled the empty glass and then refreshed his own drink. He would pass out after finishing most of the bottle if he was lucky. Maybe tomorrow he would feel more equipped to deal with the shit show that was his life.

Zach returned a few minutes later and sat down. "Ric will be here soon."

He asked, "Have you heard from Stef?"

The older man took a sip of his drink. "No, I haven't heard from him but Ric has. Stefan stopped over there to check on Bonnie first but he will be here."

Damon scoffed. "Of course Saint Stefan would go see Bonnie first."

"Don't be a child, Damon. You know the two of them have always been close. Besides, he is concerned about how Bonnie is coping since she's pregnant."

"She has high blood pressure," he muttered.

Zach lowered his glass slowly. "Really?"

He nodded. "If I remember correctly, she has nausea, high blood pressure, and insomnia. I am at fault for at least a couple of those."

"Is she okay? What did Dr. Huerta have to say?"

"I don't know. She didn't tell me any of that until this afternoon. Bonnie said that she was feeling a little better because of time away from me. I guess that's good, right?"

Zach winced in sympathy. He was sure that Bonnie was right about time away from Damon being good for her. Nevertheless, it was still a cold thing to say to him. Zach was too mature to point out that he had repeatedly warned his nephew of this eventuality. Moreover, Damon didn't need to be chastised right now. He needed support even if this was a hell of his own making.

"I'll text Meri and see what she can get out of Dr. Huerta. When we were on the way to Shadow Hills, Bonnie gave Dr. Huerta authorization to share her medical information with Meredith and Jo. Hopefully, she hasn't rescinded that authorization."

"Thank you," he replied.

He quickly composed a text for his wife. He hoped that Meredith would be able to give them some information to reassure Damon of Bonnie's health. Afterwards, he put away his phone and ran a hand over his hair. It felt as if all the wheels were coming off at once. Stefan still wasn't himself but Ric and Damon didn't take the younger boy seriously. However, Zach was truly worried that Stefan might whack Ric because of his childhood nightmares. Perhaps the most unsettling part was that Zach suspected Lilly was telling the truth. Now Damon required his attention, too. Zach knew that he felt more responsible for his nephews than he should. He wasn't their father but it wasn't as if Giuseppe would have been helpful in a situation of this nature even if he wasn't persona non grata.

The hotel's general manager walked over to them. "Mr. Salvatore, your suite is ready now."

Damon slowly stood up and grabbed the bottle of bourbon. "Thank you."

He turned to look at Zach and handed him a keycard. "Your suite is across the hall and it will be ready in about twenty minutes."

Zach said, "Thanks." He waited until Mr. Lawrence walked away before looking at his nephew. He lowered his voice and said, "You will not walk through this hotel drinking from a bottle of bourbon as if you were Axl Rose."

Damon rolled his eyes but he knew that Zach was right. There was too great a chance that another guest might snap a photo and sell it to a tabloid. Velocita's board would have a field day with that. He put the cap on the bottle and handed it to Zach. "Happy?"

Zach stuffed the bottle in his overnight bag and said, "Yes, I am elated. Let's go."

The two men walked out of the bar and headed to the bank of elevators.

"Wait up," a voice called out from behind them.

Zach looked over his shoulder because he recognized the voice as belonging to his older brother.

The younger men patiently waited for Alaric to catch up with them.

Damon said, "I figured that you would be at home with Abby."

He chuckled as he pressed the call button for the elevator. "Where else would I be when my nephew is in need?"

The younger man raised an eyebrow to indicate his skepticism.

They all stepped onto the elevator when the doors opened.

Zach pressed the button for their floor.

Alaric chuckled, "She kicked me out of my house—again. I will not be welcome in my house until Bonnie moves into the beach house. Oh, I also have to get a STD test before Abby will come within 50 feet of my cock because of your little detour to Tenerife. Thanks for that by the way."

Damon shook his head. "How the hell did they know we stopped in Tenerife? Not that it matters in the scheme of things."

"Abby said that she looked into where the jet landed after we didn't arrive in Milazzo on schedule," he explained.

Damon muttered, "Can't you do more to control your girlfriend?"

Zach chuckled. "Abby has his balls in a velvet bag. You think your 21-year-old wife is fucking up your life right now…imagine what Abby could do to Ric."

Damon and Alaric scowled at Zach simultaneously as the elevator doors slid open. Neither found their predicaments to be the least bit entertaining. All three men exited the elevator and walked down the hall to Damon's suite.

Once inside the younger man went straight for the wet bar. He was pleased with the selection of liquors he found. Damon would have to be sure to tip the bartender before he checked out of the hotel. He grabbed a bottle of his favorite bourbon and then plopped down into a leather club chair.

Zach took off his suit jacket and dug a RF signal detector from his bag. He did a slow sweep of the entire suite to ensure there weren't any listening devices. They had never had a problem with the Claiborne. However, now was not the time to become sloppy. He said, "We're clean."

Damon said, "Good."

He sat down on the couch and kicked off his shoes. "What exactly do we know about this situation? What's the damage?"

Damon was mid gulp. He quickly swallowed the liquid down and said, "I already told you everything that I knew. Bonnie wants a separation. She is planning to move into the beach house with Sarah to get away from me. She is going to _allow_ me to continue seeing Katherine. She may or may not know that I have been seeing Andie Starr. However, she obviously knows that Katherine is not the only person that I have been seeing. She threatened me with a messy divorce if she finds out that I am still seeing anyone else. Oh, and she probably told Big John what was about to go down since he's sending four blood relatives to help me run the Benedettos' operation after the old man is gone. That is looking more like a subtle takeover rather than any sort of assistance."

Zach hummed and said, "Well, we suspected that Big John wasn't simply offering his assistance to be helpful. We just have a fuller picture now."

"I almost forgot." He turned to look at Alaric at the wet bar. "Did Abby mention that her ex-husband is in California right now?"

Ric's shoulders tensed at the mention of Rudy. "Why the fuck is he in California? Abby and Bonnie hate him."

Damon chuckled wryly. "Apparently, Abby hates me more than she hates Rudy. I overheard her tell Bonnie that she had reached out to him. He's up north right now but he'll be in Los Angeles soon."

"Did Bonnie seem receptive to that?" Zach asked.

He nodded.

"That's a complication that we don't fucking need. Rudy hates our family," Ric complained as he sat down.

"I can't imagine why, Zio," Damon replied drolly.

"What else do we know?" Zach asked. He didn't want his brother and nephew to start arguing. Both men were too similar for their own good. It wouldn't take much to spark a fistfight.

Damon's eyebrows furrowed with concern. He said, "Bonnie is sick."

"I've got Meri working to find out the details on that situation. She'll call when she knows something."

He shrugged. "I don't know anything else. We were supposed to talk after dinner but I came here instead."

Zach said, "You did the right thing, Damon. The worst thing you can do is react poorly to this situation. You don't need to give Bonnie more ammunition. You'll talk to her when you are calm."

"And have a strategy. She caught you with your pants around your ankles this afternoon. You can't let her get the best of you again," Alaric added.

Zach rolled his eyes. "That's your advice to him? Don't be helpful."

Ric said, "I hate to be the practical one but there is more at stake here than just Damon's marriage. We need the alliance with the Benedetto family. Moreover, we can't afford the hit our reputation would take if they essentially repossess the operation from us! We will appear weakened and will have to fight twice as hard to fend off all comers."

Damon's jaw tightened as he glared at his uncle. "Do you really think that I give a fuck about any of that right now? My wife is leaving me! She plans to take our daughter, too. There is a chance that when our babies are born they will be going to the beach house instead of the manor. Do you understand what I am losing right now?"

"It's fucked up. I understand that, Damon. Nevertheless, you want to be the boss, right? That is what the fuck we have all been working towards for months. I barely see my kids because I have been pulling double duty. The same goes for Zacharias. We have made a lot sacrifices to put you in this position. You don't get to throw your hands up now because of difficulties in your personal life."

The younger man ground his teeth in anger and he threw his empty glass against the wall. "Fuck you!"

Alaric chuckled. "You are still a spoiled child sometimes."

Zach said, "That's enough out of both of you. You're both right."

Damon lifted an eyebrow at his uncle. "What?"

"Alaric has a point, Damon. We can't afford to appear weak to our enemies or to the soldiers in our own organization. John Gilbert would love to swoop in as a dark horse candidate to succeed Giuseppe. Your marital problems causing us to lose the smuggling operation would be used as evidence of your inability to lead this family. People will say that if you can't manage your own marriage then you can't be trusted to manage the business. It is bullshit but it makes for a compelling argument when the organization will be hemorrhaging millions of dollars if we lose our cut of the operation."

Damon opened his mouth to argue with Zach.

The older man cut him off with a sharp look. "However, the success of our business and the wellbeing of your marriage are not mutually exclusive. In fact, I would suggest that there are intertwined. We could avoid all of the doomsday scenarios if Damon is able to repair the damage in his marriage. I think he should be focusing on that right now. You and I will concentrate our efforts on the business. Top of the list has to be getting rid of Giuseppe. We don't need any outside agitation in the situation."

Damon asked, "Do you think that we will be able to convince the old man to come back home willingly? I'd rather whack him here in the States where we can control everything."

Alaric frowned. "He has to know that his number is up. He is not stupid. There is no way he will walk into a trap that we set for him. He wouldn't even stick his neck into the trap that the uncles set for him in Milazzo. Zach is right. We need to take care of Giuseppe now. He won't stay holed up at Sabine's place forever. The last thing we want is to lose track of him again."

"Then we need to send more guys over to help Kai and Luke kidnap him. It wouldn't be too difficult to smuggle him back into the country," Damon decided.

Ric nodded. "I'll have Mason get into it tonight. He can put a team together in less than a day."

Zach said, "Now onto how to handle Bonnie. My advice is to acquiesce to her demands."

"What?" Damon asked. His face showed his disbelief. "You can't be serious right now."

Even Ric looked skeptical of his brother's suggestion.

"Hear me out, kid. I know that you want to fight Bonnie tooth and nail on this. But antagonizing her will only make the situation worse. If she is anything like her mother, she will put up even more of a fight. Sometimes there is wisdom in losing a battle to win the war. A separation is always better than a divorce."

Damon frowned but took a minute to consider what Zach was saying. "What stops her from divorcing me the moment she gives birth to the twins? You said yourself that Bonnie won't need me once she gives birth to a healthy heir. You were right."

"First, you don't know that Bonnie is pregnant with a boy yet. She could be having two girls, which means the two of you would need to try again for a boy. Second, she is about 17 or 18 weeks pregnant. That gives you at least twenty weeks to make some headway with her. Show Bonnie that you aren't a heartless asshole. Prove to her that you can change for her."

He said sulkily, "I did change and it wasn't enough."

Zach said, "You stopped doing coke every day and you scaled back your drinking. You are still a shitty husband and you can do better as a father. I know that you are hurting right now. I hate it for you because you are my nephew. I love ya, kid. I think Bonnie has been a positive force in your life. If she means as much to you as you claim then you need to show her. The time for talk has passed. It's all going to sound like bullshit to her."

Damon scrubbed his hands over his five o'clock shadow. "I don't even know where to start."

"Go to counseling."

Alaric laughed.

Zach knew that would be his brother's reaction but he pushed forward anyway. "I went to counseling a few years into my marriage to Meredith. One night, we got into this huge argument about living at the manor. I was already frustrated with Giuseppe. He was riding my ass about something—as usual. Then Meri threatened to leave me and I snapped."

Damon's eyes widened. He couldn't picture his uncle being a wife batterer.

"Every instinct was telling me to punch my wife in the face. It was a split second decision. I ended up punching a hole into the wall beside her head. I can still hear the way she screamed because she thought I was going to punch her, too. I dropped to the floor and cried like a baby. Meredith should have taken Lucian and run back home to her parents. Instead, she sat on the floor next to me and held me while I cried. The next day I found a counselor and made an appointment. I was in therapy for about 16 months because I had dark shit in my past that I needed to confront. You need to deal with some things, too. Family history isn't on your side, kid. The men in our family haven't met an addiction that we didn't like: booze, drugs, women, and gambling. Of course, your father is some brand of psychotic that I won't even begin to diagnosis. Lilly is bipolar. Then there are the years of soul crushing child abuse. We're lucky that you didn't turn into fucking Hannibal Lecter. Maybe you will never get to the point where you are a split second away from hitting your wife. But there is more than one way to victimize a woman, Damon. Emotional abuse is a real thing."

Damon swallowed thickly and asked, "Do you think that I've been emotionally abusing Bonnie?"

Zach said, "I can't speak for Bonnie. I don't know what's in her heart. I do know that you don't treat her very well. I know that if she were my daughter that I would kick your ass. I probably should have kicked your ass for treating Bonnie the way that you have anyway. She is a good kid and doesn't deserve all the shit you've put her through."

"Okay. I'll do it. How do I even start looking for a counselor or whatever?"

"The woman I went to ten years ago is still working in the area. I actually talked to her a few days ago about setting something up for Stefan."

Alaric frowned because that was news to him. Usually, he and Zach discussed anything big that was happening with their nephews. However, Zach had been keeping things close to the vest since Stefan's little breakdown in Tenerife. He asked, "What for?"

Zach said, "I think our nephew should get a psychological evaluation. You can inherit bipolar disorder. I can't be the only one that has noticed a change in Stefan lately."

The older man had to concede his brother's point. Stefan was different. However, he blamed all of that on Lilly. Stefan was fine before he went to Paris to visit her. She had filled the boy's head with nonsense because she was a vindictive bitch.

Damon groaned and scrubbed at his face. "What the hell would I even talk about with a counselor?"

Zach lifted and eyebrow as he looked at his nephew. He said, "I don't know...maybe you can talk to Dr. Correa about the hole in your chest that you've been trying to fill with liquor and women since you were a tennager. I am sure that she would love to hear about how you distrust women because Lilly abdicated her role as your protector. You can tell her how Giuseppe abused you emotionally and physically for years. On the other hand, maybe you would want to tell Dr. Correa how Alaric and I abandoned you the moment we were old enough to go to college. Whereas, when your time came to escape you stuck around to keep Stefan safe. However, I think probably the most important thing you should tell the doc is how you have used Katherine as a shield your entire marriage because you are terrified of letting Bonnie get too close."

The younger man scowled because apparently it was Everyone-Be-Brutally-Honest-With-Damon-Day. However, he would swallow it all if it meant convincing Bonnie to give him another chance.


	33. Bloodlines

It took four days for Damon to call Bonnie. Honestly, the radio silence made her feel uneasy. Bonnie would have almost preferred to deal with her husband while he was seething with anger. She knew how to handle a man while he was in the throes of what amounted to a temper tantrum. However, as the days rolled on, Bonnie began to worry that Damon was planning a devastating counter-strike. The girl knew that his disinterest in her was the only reason that she had been able to pull off such a stunning power move. As she told Katherine, her husband ignored what he did not find interesting. It was safe to assume that she had his full attention now and that was dangerous.

People had the tendency to underestimate Damon. She wasn't sure if it was his relative youth, his good looks, or his checkered past with drugs and alcohol. However, those people were either ignorant or just shortsighted. Damon was a predator that used people's perceptions of him as camouflage. Even Giuseppe had underestimated his eldest son. The older man did not realize that Damon was a force to reckon with until it was too late. Damon had successfully gained the support of the American faction of their organization right under Giuseppe's nose. Bonnie suspected that her father-in-law's attack was in part because the older man knew that he was living on borrowed time. Giuseppe's story was only ever going to end one way. Bonnie had only hastened that ending by manipulating Damon.

Bonnie had never made the mistake of underestimating her husband. Stefan was perhaps the one person on Earth that knew Damon better than she did. Bonnie had been observing the future mob boss since she was a little girl. It was shocking how easily men in their line of work ignored women and girls. However, their dismissive attitudes had benefitted Bonnie greatly over the years. Sheila had encouraged her granddaughter to study the men around her as if they were little more than animals in the wild. Information was the best counter for the inherent advantages men held over women. Information was how she had brought Damon to his knees without striking a single blow. Yet she had not used all of her ammo on the first shot. Bonnie still had a few tricks up her sleeve in anticipation of Damon's response.

His opening salvo had arrived earlier that morning. Damon had called shortly after 8 o'clock to ask if he and Bonnie could meet for lunch. He offered to pick up something for them to eat on his way over to Abby's house. Bonnie was surprised by the cordial offer but she wasn't willing to lower her guard just yet. Damon was a snake. She loved that quality in her husband but it also meant that she needed to be cautious around him. Bonnie agreed to have lunch with Damon around 1 o'clock. He had even inquired about any dietary restrictions she might have in light of her high blood pressure. Bonnie liked that he was concerned about her health. Nevertheless, his gesture did not sway her. Damon's concern for her well-being had come too little and far too late.

While she waited for Damon to arrive, Bonnie curled up on the couch and read a book on pregnancy. She was incredibly anxious about carrying twins. She feared her body wasn't equipped to handle the stress. Her recent diagnosis of hypertension only compounded her fears and anxieties. Bonnie had made the mistake of researching possible complications on the internet. She literally had a nightmare about preeclampsia last night. The young mother hoped that educating herself with the information in the books would alleviate some of her worries. Abby also suggested compiling a list of questions to pose to her doctor on the next visit.

Bonnie was genuinely enjoying her stay at Abby's house. Her mother was doting on her the way that Sheila once had. The obvious care and concern warmed Bonnie greatly. She didn't know if her mother would return to type with time. However, for now she planned to enjoy Abby's maternal side. Bonnie placed her book on the coffee table and picked up a plate containing several fruit-filled pastries. She didn't know what had possessed Abby to bake last night but she was happy to enjoy the results. Bonnie hadn't enjoyed hamentashen since she was a little girl.

Abby walked into the living room dressed to kill. She was wearing a red off the shoulder dress and a pair of thigh high leather boots. Abby placed a plate covered with aluminum foil on the console table. "I just got off the phone with Lucy. She should be here in about twenty minutes. Damon had better be on his best behavior if he doesn't want Lucy on his ass. She's been waiting for an opportunity to curse him out."

Bonnie laughed because Lucy had wanted to go off on Damon for weeks. Lucy had only held her tongue to keep the peace in Bonnie's marriage. Her eyes widened when she looked up and saw her mother. "Wow. You look amazing, Mama. Where are you going again?"

She laughed softly as she put on a pair of gold hoop earrings. "Thank you, baby girl. I am going to lunch but you can call if you need me to come home."

Bonnie studied her mother's appearance. That definitely wasn't an outfit meant for lunch with a friend or a business associate. She said, "I'll be fine, Mama. I don't actually expect Damon to do anything stupid but Lucy and Tyler will be here if he gets out of line."

Tyler was camped out in the family room while he talked to Mason on the phone. Damon's decision to change the timetable for killing Giuseppe had thrown a wrench into their plans. John Gilbert had to die before Giuseppe did to ensure that he did not spill Bonnie's secrets. Moreover, Bonnie wasn't willing to risk the possibility of John trying to take the Salvatore organization for himself. Damon was an asshole but the organization belonged to Bonnie's future son and no one would get in the way of that. She planned to do whatever necessary to make ensure that Damon was the boss of the family—for now.

Abby stopped in front of the mirror positioned over the console table. She inspected the pin straight jet-black ponytail that hung down her back. Her hairstylist had stopped by that morning to give her a new look. Abby was always playing with different styles, colors, lengths, and textures when it came to her hair. "That's not what I meant. I know that you can handle Damon. I just meant that if you were upset or if you need to talk that I will come home."

"Oh, okay," she replied. "Who are you having lunch with anyway?"

The older woman stopped fussing with her hair and turned to look at her daughter. Abby smirked as she said, "I am meeting Rudy."

Bonnie was definitely intrigued now. "Does Ric know that you are meeting with him?"

Abby chuckled as she picked up the covered plate and walked over to the couch. She dropped a kiss on Bonnie's forehead. "My business isn't Alaric's business unless I want it to be. And right now, I don't want it to be. Besides, I am still waiting for the results from his STD test."

The girl wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Do you really think that he cheated on you while he was in Tenerife?"

"Damon isn't the only Salvatore that has a penchant for coke and whores. I can just imagine what Alaric got up to in Tenerife and Milazzo. I am sure he used all the recent stress as a way to justify his infidelity."

"Can I ask you something?" Bonnie asked.

"You can ask me anything," Abby replied. She sat on the arm of the couch to be closer to Bonnie. "What's on your mind?"

"How can you stand to be around my dad after what he did to you? Have you forgiven him?"

Bonnie truly wondered if she would ever be able to forgive Damon. Right now, she couldn't imagine a point where her heart would soften towards him. However, Rudy had done much worse to Abby and somehow her mother was willing to be in the same room with him.

The older woman laughed heartily. "I don't believe in forgiveness. However, I believe in using the tools available to me. You have wolves coming at you from all sides. I intend to do my part to protect you. If protecting you means making a deal with the devil…then that is what I will do."

"Mom, I never meant to put you in this position. You don't have to do this for me. I have people looking out for me…you know that."

Abby cupped Bonnie's cheek and said, "I am the one that put you in this position. My bad decisions led you to this point. I should have been there for you but I wasn't. Now you are trying to contend with Damon and Niklaus at the same time. Dickie and the boys can handle Damon and the Salvatore organization. However, Niklaus is all mines. That pervert had the nerve to approach you in public."

"He was apologizing, Mama," she tried to explain. Bonnie recognized that dangerous glint in her mother's eye. Her grams used to get the same look.

She nodded. "I am sure that he was but I know his type, Bonnie. Niklaus is trying to be charming right now but he will change tactics when you don't return his affections. That man spent five years in prison obsessing over you. He won't simply get over it now. I understand why killing him is out of the question but there are other ways to make him a non-factor."

Bonnie had similar concerns about Niklaus. She knew from experience how quickly he could go from charming to violent. Bonnie had been waiting for the other shoe to drop since that afternoon at the dance studio. She asked, "What do you have in mind?"

"You know what your father does for a living, right?" she asked. Bonnie knew far too much to be in the dark about something so crucial.

The green-eyed girl nodded. She had found out about Rudy's profession as a teenager. She wasn't exactly shocked to learn that her father was a major player in the drug trafficking business. It would have been strange for Sheila Bennett's only daughter to marry a law-abiding citizen.

Abby said, "Niklaus has spent his entire life trying to prove that he is worthy. That deep seeded desire isn't going to disappear now just because Mikael is dead. He is going to be looking for a splashy way to mark his reentry to the business. He might even be stupid enough to take possession of an obscene amount of drugs. Even if he proves to be smarter than I think he is…it wouldn't be too difficult to plant the drugs in a place where he can't deny ownership. I called your daddy here to help me make that happen. He has some expendable connections in Norcal."

She had to admire the simplicity of her mother's plan. Niklaus was brash and known for making ill-advised decisions. This certainly wouldn't be his first foray into selling drugs. Using a supplier that could be killed without consequence was even better. However, Bonnie was concerned about one aspect of this plan. She swallowed thickly and asked, "Did you tell him about what Niklaus did to me?"

Abby shook her head. "No. I kept your secret and I will continue to do so. I merely told Rudy that you were in serious trouble and needed our help. He will surely push for more details but I know how to handle your father. Let me worry about him."

Bonnie relaxed a little and nodded. "Thank you."

"I love you, baby girl. I am not going to tell you how to handle your trauma. Everyone handles it differently. However, holding all of that pain inside of you isn't good. I hope that you will at least confide in Tyler now that he knows the truth."

She smiled a little and shook her head. "It's all in the past, Mama."

Abby smiled sadly and brushed a hand over her daughter's back. "I think we both know that isn't true. You buried all that pain as deep as you could but it all came bubbling to the surface once Niklaus was released from prison. Tyler wants to help you…let him. That boy loves you."

Bonnie opened her mouth to object.

Abby laughed softly as she stood up. "Don't waste your time denying it. I have seen the way the two of you look at each other."

She bit her lip. "What do you think about that?"

"I think that Tyler is a good boy. He is your best friend. He loves you. He is also a Loiacono. Uncle Johnny would be in favor of a Benedetto/Loiacono union."

Bonnie chuckled quietly. She wasn't ready to think about marrying anyone else. She was still married to Damon and would be for quite some time. "You should go to _lunch_. You wouldn't want to be late."

Abby smirked and said, "Rudy will wait for me. I am bringing dessert."

The girl's eyes went as wide as saucers. "I didn't need to know that!"

She chuckled, "I was talking about the hamentashen. Your daddy was always a sucker for my baking."

Bonnie bit her lip for a moment and asked, "Can you tell him that I said hi?"

"I will. I hope that you have a good lunch with Damon," Abby said as she headed for the door.

"I hope that you have a good lunch with Dad, too." Bonnie thought about it for a moment and then called out, "But not too good!"

Tyler walked into the room as he heard the front door close. "Where is she going?"

"She's having lunch with my dad."

He looked at her with a dubious expression.

She laughed, "I'll fill you in later. How did your conversation with Mason go?"

He plopped down beside Bonnie on the couch and groaned.

She popped the last pastry into her mouth and lifted an eyebrow at Tyler. "How bad is it?"

"We have a time and place for when we can take out John. I don't like it and neither will you. He has planned a birthday celebration for himself at nightclub this upcoming weekend. The only problem is that the party will be at one of Klaus' nightclubs."

"Shit," Bonnie muttered. "Killing John there is a risk. If anyone in the Salvatore organization suspects his death is anything but natural, we could trigger a war with the Mikaelsons. Damon might hate John but he would feel compelled to retaliate to save face."

He said, "Well, we might have a work around to make sure that doesn't happen. Do you remember hearing about those college students that died after taking that tainted synthetic party drug?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Something like 30 students were hospitalized and about twelve of them eventually died."

"Matt knows one of the dealers. The dumbass is just sitting on his stash because it is too hot to sell right now. The plan is for Matt to kill the dealer and steal the tainted drugs. Everyone knows how much John loves doing party drugs when he is out at the clubs. No one will bat an eyelash if he dies from taking tainted drugs."

Bonnie hummed in agreement. "And no one will look too closely at the death of a low-level dealer peddling killer drugs to college students. You are right that I don't like this going down at Klaus' club but we don't have another choice. At this point, we have to take the angle that is available to us. Frankly, we're doing a freaking public service getting the rest of those drugs off the street."

Tyler laughed and kissed her cheek. "Yes, you are quite the upstanding citizen."

Bonnie felt butterflies in her stomach after the brief peck on the cheek. Her fingers sought out the Saint Christopher's medal that still hung around her neck. "We're going to need Lucy for this plan to work. I don't want any collateral damage with this. John is the only one that dies this weekend."

He nodded. "I am sure that we can get Lucy on board with that."

Bonnie heard a car door close from the driveway. "That might be her now."

Tyler stood up and said, "I'll go see who it is."

"Thanks."

He returned a few seconds later. "It's Damon."

Bonnie nodded and sat up straight on the couch. She hadn't bothered dressing up for him. Bonnie was wearing a pair of purple velour shorts, a matching zip up jacket, and a tank top. Her dark hair had been pulled into a messy top knot. "Let him in…"

"I'll head into the family room once I do. Just yell if you need me," he replied. Tyler walked to the door and opened it.

Damon was just about to knock when the door opened. He tensed at seeing Tyler standing there. He was glad that Bonnie was still accepting protection despite their separation. However, having Tyler there felt a little like letting the fox protect the hen house.

Tyler said, "Hey, Damon. Bonnie is waiting for you in the living room."

The older man nodded and walked into the house. He had forgone his normal tailored suit. Instead, he was dressed in dark denim jeans and an expensive blue cashmere sweater. Damon carried two take out bags into the living room. "Hey."

"Hi," she replied.

Damon set the bags on the coffee table and sat down on the couch with Bonnie. "How are you feeling…health wise?"

"I'm okay. The anti-nausea medicine is working. I have been able to keep down my food and that is good news. I am hoping that I will have gained a pound or two when I go to my next doctor's appointment. Dr. Huerta thinks he might be able to determine the twins' gender by then."

Normally, Damon would be overjoyed at the prospect of learning the babies' genders. However, it was just a reminder that the clock on his marriage would begin counting down if one of the babies was a boy.

"When is your next appointment? I would really like to go with you…if that is okay with you."

Bonnie blinked in surprise but nodded in agreement. "That would be fine with me. My appointment is next Wednesday at 9 o'clock."

He nodded. "I'll be there." Damon noticed the plate on the table. He chuckled and asked, "Did you already eat lunch?"

She laughed a little and said, "It was just a little snack. My mom baked hamentashen last night. I couldn't resist eating a few."

"Hamentashen?" he asked.

"Oh, they're little fruit-filled pastries. Normally, they are made during Purim but I guess my mom was just in the mood to bake last night. She made Jamie's favorite cake, too."

Damon had been raised Roman Catholic. However, he knew the names of some Jewish holidays. "Did Abby convert to Judaism?"

Bonnie knew that she couldn't tell him about Abby's lunch date with Rudy. Damon would surely report to his uncle. She lied, "No, she made the hamentashen as a peace offering for my dad. I am going to take them over to his hotel later today."

Damon realized how little he knew about his father-in-law as an actual person. His knowledge was limited to Rudy's reputation in the criminal underworld and what little information Ric could provide. However, all of his uncle's information was tainted by his extreme hatred for the man.

"Your dad is in town?" Damon feigned surprise as he unpacked their lunches.

She nodded. "He's going to stick around for a couple of weeks on vacation."

Damon mentally cursed. However, he had a plan and he would stick to it. "That's nice. I know that you haven't seen him in a few years."

"Since our wedding," she replied. Bonnie accepted the takeout containers and plastic cutlery from Damon. She inspected the salads and grinned at the obscene amount of grilled chicken on top. "Thank you."

"I made sure that your salads were made to your exact specifications," he said.

She looked a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry about that. I just really don't like hardboiled eggs on my salad. I also can't have bacon or ham because of the hypertension. Adjusting my diet has been…difficult. It has been great staying here. Mom has practice making healthy meals because of Alaric. Somehow she makes sure the food doesn't taste like cardboard."

Damon settled back on the couch and took a bite out of his club sandwich. He had cut back on his drinking the last few days so he had an actual appetite. He said, "I am glad that Abby has been so helpful."

Bonnie nodded as she poured dressing onto her first salad. She whispered a quick prayer and made the sign of the cross before she started eating. Bonnie was glad that she had the foresight to ask for two salads. She was going to demolish this one in no time. Bonnie had been ravenous since the anti-nausea medication began working. She waited on Damon to start talking since he was the one that asked to meet.

Silence filled the two-story living room for several minutes as husband and wife ate. Damon was in no rush to start this awkward conversation with Bonnie. He finished half of his sandwich before deciding to speak. Damon said, "I am sorry for not calling you sooner, bunny. I needed some time…"

"I understand that. I'm sure that you felt as if all this came out of the blue," she acknowledged.

He nodded. "Yes, you could say that. I just want to let you know that I am sorry for hurting you, Bonnie. I didn't think that you knew about Katherine until recently. I know that doesn't make what I was doing better but I would have never flaunted my infidelity in your face that way. You didn't deserve that or for her to taunt you about the affair."

Bonnie tensed because his apology was bullshit. Damon had gone to Tenerife after finding out that she had known about Katherine for years. Bonnie had even shown him the disgusting messages and pictures that the older woman had sent to taunt her.

"I'm not really interested in apologies, Damon. All of that is in the past and I just want to figure out how to move forward. I want this transition to be mature and healthy for Sarah's sake. She deserves that from us."

"I know that an apology won't fix us. Honestly, I don't know what would fix our relationship at this point. However, I felt as if I needed to apologize to you…whether you feel like accepting it or not." He looked into Bonnie's green eyes for a moment. He had missed her these last few days. Damon hated being this close to his wife and unable to touch her. He continued, "You are right. We need to make this easy for Sarah."

She hadn't expected Damon to be so levelheaded about this. Bonnie had figured that he would show up spoiling for a fight. However, she refused to allow Damon to throw her off track.

"I think it is best if Sarah and I move into the beach house. She is your daughter biologically and I would never consider trying to take her away from you. You are just really busy with other things in your life. I think it would be best if Sarah stays with me three weeks out of the month. You can have her at the manor one week and as many weekends as you would like. If you have more time to spend with Sarah then I am certainly willing to cede some of my time. I know how much you love her and she adores you."

Damon had been expecting this but hearing the words still made his chest tighten. He kept reminding himself that this wasn't permanent—yet. He could still win her back. "I think that is reasonable. I will probably get Sarah on all the weekends if my schedule permits."

"That's fine with me. I will still drop her off every morning at the manor for school. I think homeschooling Sarah is the best thing for her. Besides, I don't want to disrupt everything in her life. She loves having school lessons with her cousins. Oh, she is also taking ballet lessons every Tuesday afternoon. It is okay if you can't take her during your week. Bella and Nico are in the same class. I am sure that you can ask Caroline to take her. My mom is working with them on Wednesdays, too."

He nodded. "I'll make it work."

"I also think that we need to choose a time to talk with Sarah about the changes that will be happening. She hasn't asked very many questions while we have been staying here. She is having too much fun playing with Cooper. Jamie has even been letting her play some of his video games." She cleared her throat and said, "I think we also need to explain the situation with Nadia in a way that a five-year-old can understand."

Damon placed his food on the coffee table. He had definitely lost his appetite. He was bothered by how casually Bonnie spoke of the dissolution of their marriage. However, he figured that she had much longer to get used to the idea.

"I actually got some advice on how to handle talking to Sarah about both situations. I, um, I saw this counselor the other day. Zach set me up with someone that he worked with in the past. Dr. Correa suggested bringing Sarah to her office so that she could help us explain everything."

Bonnie's jaw literally dropped. She stared at her husband as if he had suddenly grown a second head. She tried to picture the scenario in her head but couldn't. "You went to see a counselor and it wasn't even court ordered?"

Damon hated that Bonnie was so surprised by his actions. Did she truly believe that he wouldn't try to fight for her? He nodded. "I am not going to sit here and make excuses for how I have treated you. At best, I am an inconsiderate asshole. At worst, I emotionally abused one of the few people I would never try to hurt intentionally. You said that you needed space to get better and I think that I do, too. I have some things I need to work through and I need professional help to do that."

Bonnie shook her head in disbelief. "That is surprisingly mature of you, Damon."

"Well, I can honestly say that I would have never done this if not for you. I never realized how my actions made you feel. I guess I never really paid attention. A couple weeks ago, Stefan told me that you were depressed and I didn't believe him. I thought that he was being dramatic. Now I have realized that he just paid more attention to you than I did. Is the depression a recent development?"

The conversation made Bonnie feel off balance. She guessed it was Damon's turn to ambush her. However, instead of venomous barbs crafted to cause maximum pain, he spoke honestly of his failures as a husband. She shook her head. "I was depressed most of the time. I muddled through because Sarah needed me and I had to keep up appearances outside the house. It was a hard act to keep up but it was what I was raised to do. I just kept looking for ways to be better for you."

As if Damon didn't already feel like an asshole. "You are amazing Bonnie. You are everything I could have asked for in a wife. I am the one with the problem."

She shook her head. "It's not just you. There is something broken in me, Damon. The way I twisted myself into knots to please you is sick. You don't even know half the things that I did. I decided to see a counselor, too."

"Then tell me," he said in a voice thick with emotion. "Please…"

She shook her head. "I'm not at a place where I feel comfortable sharing the deepest darkest parts of myself with you. I don't know that I will ever get to a place where that is possible."

Damon reached out to take Bonnie's hand but stopped short when he noticed that she was no longer wearing her wedding band and engagement ring. In a bitter voice, he said, "That was quick."

Bonnie was confused by the comment. However, she followed his gaze down to her hand. She pulled a necklace out of her tank top to show him the rings. "My fingers are swollen in part because of the hypertension. Part of it is just normal swelling that comes with being pregnant. I promised that I would continue pretending to be your wife in public and I meant it."

He really took a moment to look at her swollen fingers. Damon shook his head in surprise. "Bunny…"

She heard the sincerity of the concern in his voice. "I'm okay. My blood pressure is coming down nicely. I hired a private physician to monitor my condition more closely than Dr. Huerta can. Cole's nurse practitioner drops by every day to check my blood pressure and glucose levels."

"Do you need me to do anything? Pay for anything?"

She smiled faintly. "I can more than afford to pay for whatever I need."

"I know that, Bunny. I just feel as if I should be doing something," he said in exasperation. He felt useless.

"I will let you know if I need anything," she promised.

The doorbell rang.

"I should get that. It is probably Lucy." Bonnie was glad for the reprieve. She hadn't been prepared for Damon to come in being reasonable. Where the hell did he get off pretending to be a sensible adult? She checked to make sure it was Lucy before opening the door.

Lucy's arms were weighed down by a dozen shopping bags. She kissed Bonnie's cheek. "I am sorry that I am late. Something came up at the last moment. I see jackass is here."

Bonnie closed the door and said, "Damon can hear you from the living room."

Lucy flashed a simpering smile and said, "I know. Don't care."

"What is all of this?" Bonnie asked.

"I did a little Christmas shopping."

She eyed the bags with a grin and asked, "Did you get anything for me?"

"I bought your gifts a couple weeks ago. These are for the cousins."

"Oh! I didn't even think about that," Bonnie said. Her eyebrows pulled together in concern. "Looks like I will be doing some shopping in the next couple of days."

"We can go together. I still need to pick up a few things. Well, I am going to let you get back to your lunch. Where's Ty?"

"He's in the family room."

Lucy nodded and disappeared down the hall.

Bonnie returned to her place on the couch. "Sorry about that…"

"The interruption or Lucy calling me a jackass?" he asked in amusement.

"Both?" she suggested. "She's just being a protective older cousin."

Damon thought back to Bonnie's accusation that the manor had turned into a prison for her. "I get it. I am glad that you have her here. I know you haven't had very much contact with your family since we've been married."

She nodded and went back to eating her lunch. "It's been nice reconnecting. I can't wait to see my cousins over the holiday. My mom is planning a Christmas Eve party so that we can all get together before going to Midnight Mass."

"Do you know why your cousins are coming stateside for Christmas?"

Damon couldn't help himself. He needed to know how much Bonnie knew about what was happening. He didn't want to believe that his sweet bunny would betray him. However, something had been nagging at him since Big John offered his _assistance_.

Bonnie studied him closely for a moment. She had known this question would come up at some point. She had been considering her options for quite some time. Bonnie had come to the decision that she was tired of pretending to be something she was not. It was time to pull back the curtain a little for Damon.

She said, "Well, Cesare was going to be in town for Christmas because Lexi wanted to see her family. The rest are joining the trip to make some living arrangements. Uncle Johnny wants them out here to help you with the business."

He nodded but the words sounded like a half-truth to his ears. It was surprising what Damon could pick up when he actually paid attention to his wife. "Is Big John the only one that wanted them here?"

The green-eyed girl was quiet for a long moment. "No. I wanted them here, too. I understand if that makes you angry. We haven't been on the same page in a long time, Damon. I just needed to make sure that there was someone protecting my interests."

Damon's entire body tensed and he ground his teeth in frustration. "You shouldn't have done that, Bonnie. I will always make sure that you and our children are taken care of but involving other people in our marital issues is way out of line."

"I didn't involve other people. I involved my family. Also, this has nothing to do with our marriage, Damon. The smuggling operation is and always will be business—my business." Bonnie tapped a hand against her chest for emphasis.

He stared at his wife for a beat. He refused to say something that would start a fight. They had been getting along well enough until now. He decided to appeal to Bonnie's sense of duty. Perhaps she could call off Big John if she understood the predicament Damon was in now. "Do you know how this makes me look? Do you understand how weak this makes me look to my own people? To my enemies? They will smell blood in the water."

Bonnie was unmoved. She said, "I know this might come as a surprise, but you weren't really my concern. I needed to do what was best for my family."

"I am your family, Bonnie. We're married," he insisted. "This is not what is best for us. This is not what is best for the organization."

"I am a Benedetto. You are a Salvatore. We are family by marriage…a very dysfunctional marriage. When the chips were down, I put my faith in my blood. Blood means everything and you know this. My cousins will help run the smuggling operation until I am ready to take over."

Damon barked out a harsh laugh. Bonnie taking over the smuggling business was the most absurd thing he had ever heard. "You can't be serious. When have you ever had an interest in the operation? What do you even know about the business?"

She looked at him dispassionately. "Big John has never had a hand in the North American side of my family's business, Damon. All those reports you have given him over the years mean nothing to him. That is why he has always passed them along to me. I know all the routes, merchandise, bribes, buyers, and sellers like the back of my hand. Grams made sure that I knew every detail of the operation before she died. She was worried that Giuseppe would try to screw me out of my cut."

Once again, Damon felt as if Bonnie had pulled the rug out from under him. He found himself wondering whom he had been sleeping beside for the last four years. His sweet bunny was supposed to be naïve to the details of their business. However, he continued to learn that Bonnie had hidden depths that he couldn't begin to understand. His initial impulse was to become angry and start a fight with her. He didn't like feeling as if Bonnie was pulling his strings.

He took a breath to calm himself. He bitterly replied, "It looks as if I wasn't the only person being dishonest in our marriage. Who are you?"

Bonnie studied his face carefully. She saw Damon's internal struggle. He was fighting against his instincts. Bonnie knew that he was close to losing control but she wasn't scared. Bonnie had three knives strategically placed around the couch. She would have him bleeding before Lucy and Tyler ever made it into the room.

The women in her family had always been fond of knives. Guns had their uses but true power came from burying a sharp blade into an unsuspecting man's soft flesh. The gush of warm blood on their hands was the reward for a job well done. Sheila had schooled Bonnie on that method because she was a woman. Fighting a man head to head was most assuredly a losing prospect. The key was to lull the victim into a false sense of security before striking.

"I tried to be what you wanted, Damon. You liked the fact that I was relatively silent and uncomplicated. You liked me being a warm body for you to slide into on occasion. You wanted someone to be a mother to your children and to look pretty on your arm. You never made an effort to learn anything about me. You didn't even know that my father was Jewish. How is that something that you don't know about your wife of four years? I played the part that you wanted because I hoped that you would love me. Well, you don't love me…not in any way that works for me. I no longer have an incentive to pretend for your benefit. This is who I am. You can like it or not. I don't care. I have to find a way to live my life where I can look myself in the mirror every morning."

He snapped, "You don't get to tell me how I feel about you, Bonnie! I never asked you to be anyone else! You chose this farce!"

"You are right. I don't know what goes on in that head of yours because you have never let me in! I can only draw conclusions from how you make me feel."

"I think it is safe to say that you never let me in either!"

"You never tried to get to know me, Damon. If you had shown even a modicum of interest, I would have told you everything. I had hoped for a partner when we were married. I wanted someone that I could tell all of the terrible shit that keeps me up at night. I wanted someone that would understand the things that make me so ashamed that I can't dare utter the words aloud. Instead, I got a man that made me feel worthless and let his father isolate me from everyone else that might have given a damn about me. You have no idea how broken I was before you ever married me. Being with you has made it all so much worse. Some days I can't think of a single thing that I like about myself. I damn near starved myself just to get your attention. I have been dying slowly in front of you for years and you never noticed. Why would I share anything with someone who didn't make me feel valued, respected, or wanted?"

Damon struggled to make sense of the veiled words Bonnie spoke. He didn't have context but he could hear the genuine pain and shame leaking out of her like a sieve. He could not fathom what she could possibly be holding inside that hurt her in such a way. Bonnie confused Damon. These last few days had been like looking at his wife's reflection through a broken fun house mirror. Each shard showed him some distorted image that was part of a larger tableau. She had been fierce when she broke the news of their separation at the Manor. Yet in this moment she looked every bit of a broken little girl that he wanted to protect from whatever ghosts were obviously haunting her. However, she was also shrewd enough to take the smuggling business right from under his nose. None of these three shards meshed with what he had believed about his wife just a week ago.

However, his mind kept going back to one statement. "What do you mean you starved yourself?"

Bonnie blinked back her tears. "It's the reason that I was underweight at the start of my pregnancy...the reason that I am still underweight. I skipped meals and practically lived in the manor's gym so that I could be thinner. I thought you weren't attracted to me because I was too fat. I went back to eating a normal diet and I stopped exercising altogether once I learned that I was pregnant. I was desperate to put on enough weight to make sure my babies would be healthy. I am still underweight because of the weeks of morning sickness where I couldn't hold anything down. The stress of being with you certainly didn't help my morning sickness."

Suddenly, Damon felt sick to his stomach. The sting of betrayal seemingly forgotten as he stared at the woman he loved. He moved closer and pulled Bonnie into his arms. He whispered against her hair, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, bunny. I didn't know…"

Bonnie shook her head and pushed him away. "I know that you didn't and that's the problem. I don't want your apologies or your comfort. I just want you to leave me alone now. I think we've said all that needs to be said for today."

"Bunny…" he whispered in a broken voice.

Lucy stepped into the room. She had obviously been eavesdropping on their conversation. She quietly said, "It's time for you to go, Damon."

He glared at Lucy but his attention was quickly drawn to the sharp sob that left Bonnie. He watched helplessly as she rushed out of the room presumably to get away from him. Damon swallowed thickly and slowly stood up. "I'll show myself out."


	34. Burning Down The House

Abby didn't pull into her driveway until shortly after 10 o'clock. She had spent approximately eight hours in her ex-husband's company. It was the most time the exes had spent together in nearly eighteen years. They had not even seen each other since Bonnie and Damon's wedding four years ago. Abby and Rudy's relationship lived at one extreme or the other. Either they couldn't keep their hands off each other or they were seconds away from committing murder. Long before she arrived at his hotel, Abby could tell which extreme Rudy had in mind. Every time they spoke on the phone, he flirted with her in that deep baritone voice that she loved.

Rudy definitely stepped up his game once he had Abby alone. She had assumed that they would order room service for lunch. However, when she arrived Rudy greeted her in the lobby looking as if he had just stepped off the cover of GQ magazine. Abby had teased him good-naturedly and offered a few genuine compliments to get the meeting off on the right foot. Rudy had soaked up her flattery with a shit-eating grin and offered a few well-targeted compliments of his own. Then he led his ex-wife to the private dining room he had reserved in the hotel's five-star restaurant. Rudy had ordered several of Abby's favorite dishes and desserts for the two of them to share. He had even procured a bottle of her favorite wine produced by her family's vineyard.

The exes had dined for well over an hour as Abby updated Rudy on their daughter's life. He had even sampled the hamentashen Abby brought from home. She teased him for being brave enough to eat anything she cooked after having been poisoned by her. After lunch, they had retired to Rudy's suite to get down to business. Unfortunately, it meant something different for both of them. Rudy was ready to take his ex-wife to bed. However, Abby was insistent that they work out the details of their plan. Abby didn't break her promise to Bonnie, but she did make Rudy understand the gravity of the situation. When he listened to her talk, Rudy realized that Abby would have already killed Esther's bastard with her bare hands if only Bonnie would permit it.

Abby had a few dozen valid reasons to despise her ex-husband. He had done things to her that were inexcusable but that afternoon Abby had felt a swell of emotion for him that she thought died long ago. The fancy lunch and his sweet-talking ways didn't woo her. However, she caught a brief glimpse of the man she married when Rudy realized that Niklaus had hurt their daughter. He didn't even know the details but his first instinct was to track the animal down and slaughter him. Abby knew that she wouldn't be able to rein Rudy in if he knew the truth. She was barely able to contain her own murderous rage. Seeing Niklaus at the dance studio had set her teeth on edge. She couldn't believe the pervert had the audacity to approach Bonnie after everything he had done to her.

Abby turned off the car and pulled out her phone. She scowled at the seven missed calls she had from Alaric. He had been calling her incessantly for hours. However, she knew that he only wanted to talk about what happened during Damon and Bonnie's lunch. She would have paid good money to see the look on Damon's face when he learned that Bonnie planned to take over the smuggling operation. Abby felt more proud of her daughter each passing day. A parent's greatest wish was to see their children succeed in ways that they could not. Abby had no doubt that her little girl was going to bring the Salvatore family to heel.

She grabbed her purse and a shopping bag from Christian Louboutin, a gift from Rudy, as she climbed out of the car. Abby headed into the darkened house and locked the door behind her. She followed the excited voices coming from the family room. Her lips hitched into a smile when she saw Jamie sitting on the floor with Matt while they played WWE 2K16. A couple pizza boxes and a variety of snacks were stacked up on the coffee table. It had been awhile since she had heard her son laughing and having a good time. However, he had slowly come out of his shell since Bonnie and Sarah started staying with them. Abby wasn't sure if that was because of them or because she had banned Alaric from the house. Jamie still refused to speak to his father.

Matt was dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans. However, the .45 holstered on his hip proved that he was very much on duty. It would have been a strange sight for anyone else but Abby had grown up in a world where everyone was always carrying. Jamie had a similar experience growing up because of the time he spent with her side of the family. Part of Abby hoped that her son wouldn't be sucked into the life but she knew better. Few had the courage to resist the siren song. Unfortunately, Jamie would have temptation coming from both sides of his family tree.

She walked over and dropped a kiss atop her son's head. "Having fun?"

Jamie paused the game and smiled up at his mother. He nodded. "I've beat Matt like four times already."

The blond man scoffed as he drank from a bottle of beer. "You are getting me confused with Tyler. I have only lost twice to you."

He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Tyler is really bad at this game."

"You've got that right."

Abby chuckled and ruffled Jamie's hair. "I am glad that you are enjoying yourself."

"Is it okay if I stay up a little longer?" he asked.

"Sure. It's not as if you have school tomorrow. You can stay up as late as you want, pumpkin," she agreed.

Jamie screwed up his face and whined, "You promised to stop calling me that, Mama. I'm almost thirteen."

She chuckled softly and pinched his cheek. "I promised to stop calling you that in public."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Abby smirked. "Where is Bonnie?"

"Sissy is trying to put Savannah to sleep," he winced at the idea.

Savannah was generally an easygoing toddler. However, she turned into a tiny sleep fighting ninja when it was bedtime. Abby was the only one that could get her to sleep without a protracted battle.

Abby chuckled and said, "I had better go save her."

He nodded in agreement before turning around to face the television once more.

Abby climbed the stairs and stopped by her bedroom first. She dropped her purse and shopping bag on the bed. Then she took a moment to take off her boots and jewelry. Abby wiggled her toes in relief as she walked down the hall to the nursery. She slowly pushed the door open and walked into the room.

Bonnie was sitting in the glider with Savannah in her arms. She was softly singing to the toddler that was nearly asleep against her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Tyler was across the room lying on the daybed with his eyes closed. It looked as if he was well on his way to sleep, too. He was waiting for Mason to call him with an update. Two hours ago, Kai and Luke were gearing up to raid Sabine's house. They hoped the early morning raid would catch Giuseppe off guard. He was getting on in age but he was more than capable of cutting through a couple of young guns like a hot knife through butter.

Abby wasn't surprised to find that Tyler was still there after his shift had ended. He usually stayed well beyond midnight to spend time with Bonnie. Their budding romance was adorable if not dangerous. She said, "I hope that Savannah didn't give you too much trouble."

The green-eyed girl looked up at the sound of her mother's voice. She gave a little smile. "I am now convinced that Little Miss Sassy is part banshee. I didn't know she was capable of screaming that loud. It took twenty minutes for me to settle her down."

She walked across the room and gently took the pajama-clad toddler. Abby swayed side to side to keep Savannah content. "I am sorry, baby girl. I didn't realize that I would be out so late."

Bonnie shook her head. "It's fine. It was actually good practice. Sarah was incredibly mellow when she was Savannah's age. I need a little experience with the other end of the spectrum just in case the twins decide to be a challenge."

Abby chuckled softly as she rubbed Savannah's back in soothing circles. "You certainly were a handful. You were quite possibly the angriest baby I have met til this very day."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "You are joking right? Grams always said that I was a sweet baby."

"Oh, you could be a little angel at times. However, you turned into a little demon if you were agitated or overtired. Before you were even old enough to roll over you would throw temper tantrums. You would lie on your back while you cried and screamed at the top of your little lungs. I felt like the worst mother in the world because I couldn't comfort you. Then one day Uncle Johnny was in town and he watched me struggling with you. He plucked you right out of my arms, deposited you into the crib, turned on some music, and pulled me out of your room. You cried for maybe five minutes and then it got quiet. I rushed into the nursery to check on you. You were just sucking on your fist listening to the music. From then on that was my solution once I was certain that there wasn't anything wrong with you. I used to play the O'Jays and the Isley Brothers to calm you down."

The girl laughed softly. She adored hearing stories about the early years of her life. She hadn't lived with her grandmother until she was three years old. Sheila had only seen her granddaughter during holidays and the summer at that time because Abby and Rudy refused to live in Shadow Hills. "You chose the O'Jays and the Isley Brothers? That's a little old school even for you, Mama."

She shrugged. "It was the music I found comforting because it was what my mama played around the house when I was a little girl. Besides, Ronald Isley's voice still does something to me."

Bonnie balked. "File that under TMI, Mama."

"Listen to me now and believe me later. _Footsteps in the Dark_ is good lovemaking music," she argued.

Lucy leaned against the doorway with a hand on her hip. "Is that what you and Rudy were listening to tonight?"

Abby looked over her shoulder at her younger cousin. She laughed a little. "Rudy was always partial to Jodeci. I have very fond memories of _Feenin'_."

Bonnie groaned and said, "I am not old enough to hear this."

"Well, I am definitely old enough and I want details. Rudy is damn near 50 years old. Can he still lay the pipe like the old days?" Lucy asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Abby chuckled as she placed Savannah in her crib. "Stop it before you traumatize Bonnie with your nasty talk. Rudy and I just had a lot of things to talk about."

"Uh huh," Lucy said in a disbelieving voice. "Eight hours is a lot of talking for two people who were only ever good at two things."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow at her cousin. She didn't know very much about her parents' relationship. It wasn't a subject that Sheila or Abby brought up when Bonnie was growing up.

Lucy answered the silent question. "Fucking and fighting. And I don't see any bruises."

Bonnie's eyes went as wide as saucers. She said, "I hope you didn't have to do that just to help me out. We could have figured out another way."

Abby shook her head and walked over to Bonnie. She placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Ignore Lucy's dirty mouth and mind, baby girl. She is right that your father and I have a tumultuous relationship. However, there is one thing we were always able to agree on…you. I didn't have to put out to get his help."

Lucy grinned. "It doesn't mean that you didn't do it for the fun of it."

"Lucy Marie," Abby said in a warning tone.

She rolled her eyes but held up her hands in surrender. "I'll quit if you tell me what all this cloak and dagger nonsense is about. Calling Rudy away from London is a pretty big fucking deal."

Bonnie sighed softly. She said, "Close the door."

Lucy closed the door and then leaned against the wall. "What's going on, cuz? You have been acting squirrelly for awhile now. I am starting to get the feeling that you don't trust me."

"It's not that at all, Lucy. We are blood and there is nothing stronger than that. Things have just become very complicated for me lately."

"Okay…" Lucy said.

Tyler opened one eye to look at Bonnie. He had been content to lie there silently before now. "Bon?"

She looked over at him and gave a tight smile. "She's not going to drop it. And it might be better to have someone else that knows what's happening."

He slowly sat up on the daybed and nodded in agreement. Tyler had been of that mindset since he learned the truth. However, he understood that revealing something like that was a deeply personal decision.

Bonnie licked her lips nervously. "Mama asked my dad here to help her get Niklaus sent to prison for drug trafficking. It is the best way to get rid of him without putting a bullet in his head."

Tyler scoffed and muttered, "I am still in favor of killing the fucker."

"Me, too," Abby agreed.

Lucy's entire body tensed but she showed patience by not rushing Bonnie. However, she could only think of a handful of situations where eliminating Niklaus would be appropriate. He was too important to kill for something petty. Lucy was beginning to understand why Bonnie chose to keep her in the dark. There was a time when she was impulsive and quick to act on her anger. Lucy was still a pistol but she understood the virtue of patience now.

The girl sought out the Saint Christopher's medal around her neck. She ran her thumb over the grooves. "I don't want to get into the details. I just…Niklaus hurt me when I was younger—more than once. He's apologized but he can be unpredictable. He confronted me the night of the christening because he was wasted."

Tyler rolled his eyes because he didn't buy that bullshit excuse. Furthermore, Bonnie had allowed him to read Klaus' apology letter. It was more of a love letter in his opinion. Klaus' feelings for Bonnie made him worry for her safety. A man of his stature and pedigree wasn't used to being denied his heart's greatest desire.

Lucy was speechless for a few moments. She imagined all the ways Bonnie and Niklaus' paths had crossed over the years. The Salvatore and Mikaelson families socialized frequently to maintain the alliance. Klaus had known Bonnie since she was a little girl. She asked, "How young are we talking here?"

"I was sixteen. A priest, my mom, Tyler, and now you are the only people that know about this. It has to stay that way, Lucy," Bonnie said.

"This stays between us, Bonnie. You have my word." The older woman shook her head in disbelief. "How long have you known, Abby?"

"Since the night of Niklaus' welcome home party," she answered. She tried to hide the bitterness at her own failure to protect Bonnie. Abby still had a hard time accepting that she had been in the same house one of the times that monster raped her daughter. What kind of mother was oblivious to her child's pain?

Lucy looked to Tyler.

"Same for me," he replied.

Lucy shook her head and said, "I can't believe that you never told anyone. I guess it wasn't a pressing matter while Klaus was in prison. But now…"

"I couldn't tell anyone. Sometimes I wish that I still hadn't told anyone. It makes me feel so stupid and ashamed…" she trailed off when she felt tears welling in her eyes. Bonnie had done enough crying for one day.

Lucy moved over to the glider and kneeled in front of it. She pulled Bonnie into a hug but remained quiet for a long time. Lucy hastily wiped away the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks as she pulled out of the hug. She said, "You poor kid."

"I am okay, Lucy," she promised in a voice thick with emotion.

Lucy didn't believe that for a moment. However, she knew that Bonnie didn't enjoy appearing weak in front of people. Their insane upbringing was to blame for that. She slowly got to her feet and looked at her older cousin. "What's this plan that you and Rudy are cooking up?"

Abby gave her daughter a questioning look. She didn't know if Bonnie wanted to pull Lucy that far into the loop.

Bonnie nodded. "You can tell her. I'd like to hear more about this plan, too."

"When Rudy was growing up in Las Vegas he was best friends with the son of a major drug dealer. When Rudy and Tommy went to college, they started selling cocaine, marijuana, and ecstasy. They did so well that old man decided to send Rudy and his son to California to expand his business. They set up shop in the bay area. I met Rudy because I was attending Berkeley at the time. He left the organization when he married me. Rudy hoped that Mama would give him the reins to the smuggling operation but she hated him. He wasn't a Salvatore, he was a drug dealer, and he was a Jew. I had hit the trifecta of disapproval in her book. Anyway, Rudy and Tommy are still the best of friends and on occasion, they broker an international business deal or two. Rudy went up to Fremont where Tommy lives now and asked for his help."

Bonnie asked, "I thought the plan was to find someone disposable to be the middleman in the drug deal?"

The hazel-eyed woman nodded and said, "That was and still is the plan. Tommy took over the drug ring when his old man went to prison a few years back. Only problem is that his new position doesn't sit well with his father's best friend. He feels as if he should have taken over since he helped build their business. He hasn't made any aggressive moves against Tommy but he's been undermining him for awhile now. He's gotta go but whacking his father's best friend is a bad look. Besides, the guy is well liked in the organization. However, if he gets killed in a drug deal gone bad…"

Lucy said, "Two birds one stone."

"Exactly," Abby replied. She continued, "Niklaus is an easy target. He tried his hand at the drug trade years ago. He had some minor success before Mikael stepped in and squashed it. He might be eager to try it again now that big brother is the boss. Elijah has always indulged his younger brother out of guilt."

Tyler glanced at Bonnie and she nodded in response. He said, "Elijah has given Klaus the biggest parcel of territory in their organization. He is going to have several dozen men answering to him. The best way to ingratiate all those people that might be skeptical is to make sure they are earning well. The influx of new revenue that would come from flooding area with product might pique his interest."

Abby's smile broadened. "Oh, that's very good. The plan is for Michael to approach Klaus at his New Year's Eve party to make the pitch."

Bonnie asked, "New Year's Eve? Will Dad still be here?"

"Your father is committed to seeing this thing through. He isn't going anywhere until Klaus is behind bars where he belongs. Cade can handle things in London while Rudy is away."

The green-eyed girl was surprised that her father was willing to do that for her. The insecure part of Bonnie wondered if his dedication to this plan was about getting Abby into bed. However, as the old adage said beggars can't be choosers. "Thank you for doing this, Mama."

She shook her head. "I had to do something to protect you from Niklaus. I won't feel that you are safe while he is roaming the streets as a free man. He certainly isn't going to simply leave you alone as he promised."

"He deserves death but prison will have to do," Tyler added.

Abby smiled at him. "Don't you worry, Tyler. I intend make Klaus' life in prison the worst hell possible. When I am done with him, Niklaus will wish that I had simply slit his throat from the beginning."

The wheels in Bonnie's head were turning as she considered her options.

Tyler's phone started vibrating. He glanced down at the screen and said, "This is my uncle. I'm going to take this call in the hallway."

Bonnie nodded. She hoped that Luke and Kai had been successful. Getting Giuseppe off the board was good for everyone.

Abby said, "Your daddy was hoping that he could see you and Sarah for lunch tomorrow."

"Really?" Bonnie asked.

She nodded. "Rudy wants to make an afternoon of it. He asked if Sarah might like to visit the aquarium."

"That would be amazing. Sarah loves the aquarium."

Abby smiled and said, "I will give you his number. You can call him in the morning to hammer out the details."

Bonnie bit her lip nervously. "And this isn't just about getting on your good side? I just don't want to let him into my life only to have him abandon me again. I can't handle that right now."

The older woman's smile faltered as once again she saw the damage they had caused their daughter. Bonnie had been so broken by her parents that she couldn't even believe that her father wanted to see her unless there was some nefarious agenda.

She walked over to Bonnie and said, "You have no reason to trust us but Rudy does love you. He sees this as an opportunity to be part of your life again. I won't promise that he won't screw it up. He is a man after all and they tend to be useless. However, that man would bleed for you. I had to do some fast talking to stop him from going to kill Niklaus this afternoon. He doesn't know what that maniac did but knowing that you are afraid of him was enough for your daddy. Just give him a chance."

Lucy said, "And I'll kneecap him for you if he fucks up."

Bonnie huffed out a soft laugh. "I'm sorry that I am being such a head case. It just broke me a little the last time Dad walked out of my life. I know that I was no picnic as a teenager but…"

"You are not a head case. You haven't had an easy life. Your father and I should have been there to protect and guide you no matter how you behaved. I'm sorry that we weren't, baby girl. We can't change the past but we are here now."

Abby hoped that if she kept reiterating the point that Bonnie would begin to believe her with time. She knew that repairing their relationship would be a long journey. However, the divide between father and daughter was much wider. Sheila was partly responsible for that. She forced Rudy out of Bonnie's life and onto another continent. Unfortunately, Rudy had allowed his pride and bitterness to infect his long distance relationship with their daughter. The argument that blew up the fragile bridge between them had been ugly. It had served as proof for every negative thing Sheila had ever believed about the man. Nothing Abby said was able to sway her mother's opinion. Sheila saw her daughter as the same naive girl that had married a man seven years her senior.

She nodded. "I love you, Mama."

Abby's heart swelled with joy. "I love you, too."

Bonnie smiled. "I have good news. The beach house should be ready right before Christmas."

"That is good news but you don't need to be in a rush to leave. It's been nice having you here," Abby replied.

"It has been nice being here but I don't want to overstay my welcome. I know I am putting a strain on your relationship with Alaric."

The older woman rolled her eyes. "Oh, honey. My problems with Ric existed long before you needed to crash here. They will most certainly continue long after you've moved into your home. He has been trying to reach me since this afternoon. He's positively livid."

Bonnie winced. "Sorry. I wish I could have given you a heads up about it. Damon started questioning me about why Cesare and the rest are moving out here. I just got tired of lying."

Abby chuckled. "There is nothing to apologize for. I am so damn proud of you. Mama is gone. Alaric doesn't take me serious when it comes to the business because I ran from it for so long. But they are going to learn to respect you."

"That's for damn sure," Lucy agreed.

Tyler walked into the room with Matt at his back. "We've got a fucking problem."

Matt closed the bedroom and leaned against it. His chiseled jaw was clenched tight.

Bonnie sat up straight in the glider. Her hand automatically went to her stomach. "What is it?"

"The raid…it went bad. Someone obviously tipped off Giuseppe. The son of a bitch set the house on fire. He mowed down three guys with an SUV during his escape. Luke and a couple guys went into the house to save Sabine and the kid. Kai and the rest chased after Giuseppe. Only they drove right into a fucking ambush. Kai and Jesse are the only ones that survived the ambush," Tyler explained.

Bonnie did the sign of the cross. She had insisted that Mason put a few of the men loyal to her family on that team. That decision may have cost good men their lives. "How many of ours did we lose?"

"Marco and Richie were killed in the ambush. The car hit Leo and they rushed him to the hospital. He is alive but it doesn't look good. Jesse survived but he is going to be out of commission for a bit. A bullet fucking shredded his right arm. Baz has burns. We don't know how bad they are right now."

She asked, "What about Lucky?"

Bonnie was doubly concerned because Lucky was Matt's cousin.

Tyler said, "He made it out mostly unscathed. He has some smoke inhalation."

Abby swallowed thickly. "What about Sabine and her son?"

Tyler shook his head. "Sabine was trapped in the bedroom. She suffered a lot burns and has smoke inhalation. They are not sure if she is going to survive the day. The boy wasn't in the house. Giuseppe took him when he fled."

Bonnie scoffed in disgust. "I guess that solves the mystery of the kid's paternity. No way Giuseppe would let his son burn."

"That poor fucking kid," Lucy muttered.

Matt said, "This was a complete shit show. Giuseppe will be coming for his brothers and Damon now."

Bonnie's jaw clenched. She wasn't about to let Giuseppe murder her husband. She looked at Tyler. "Tell your father that I want to meet with all our people Sunday afternoon. We need to make sure that our house is clean. I don't think that any of our people were involved but I would like to be certain."

Tyler nodded. "He's locked up tight with Damon, Alaric, and Zach now. I will relay the message the first moment he's free."

"Thank you. I also want you to put together a package for Marco, Richie, and Leo's families. I'll take care of Baz and Jesse personally."

Tyler was surprised but didn't show it. Normally, Mason handled compensation packages for the families. He didn't know if this was a temporary promotion or the start of a bigger role for him. He nodded. "I'll get it ready."

"Matt, I need you to talk to Lucky as soon as possible. I want his read on the situation. Did anyone seem particularly suspicious? Did anyone seem to anticipate what was coming?"

He said, "I'll call him now and see what he can tell me."

She said, "Call your grandfather first. Tell him to sound the alarm. All of our people need to be on high alert. Giuseppe knew about the raid. There is no telling what else he might know until we find the leak."

Matt nodded as he left the room.

"I need you to give Uncle Johnny a heads up, Luce."

Lucy did the math in her head to calculate the time difference. "He should be getting up soon. I'll handle it."

Abby watched in awe as her little girl gave orders like a seasoned pro. She was reminded of how her own mother used to marshal their forces in time of conflict. "Do you need anything from me?"

Bonnie looked thoughtful for a moment. "Not yet but I will."

She nodded. "Then I will be here."

The girl squeezed her mother's hand before exiting the room.


	35. My Brother's Keeper

Rose served as Damon's assistant and his best friend. Currently, she was trying to play both roles simultaneously. His personal life was in shambles and she was desperate to help him pick up the pieces. However, she knew that he had more immediate concerns for which she had little insight. Damon had made a point of keeping Rose away from the organized crime portion of his life. It was a promise he had made years ago when she accepted the job as his assistant. It was times like these when Rose wished that she hadn't insisted on the division. She could tell that something had rocked Damon to his very core but he refused to speak to her about it. All she really knew was that Damon would have to attend a string of funerals next week. If his mood was any indication, he was shouldering the blame for those deaths.

She had plans to visit Bonnie at Abby's house later in the day. Rose hoped that she might be able to get a read on the young girl. Damon was too blindsided and too emotional to be objective on what was happening between them. Furthermore, he had never been particularly astute when it came to ascertaining the needs of women if it went beyond his cock, money, or coke. Rose needed to understand if reconciliation between the husband and wife was truly possible. If not, she needed to prepare for the worst. Damon was behaving rationally and going to counseling because Zacharias had convinced him that Bonnie might take him back. However, Rose knew a great deal about the ways in which a woman's heart could harden when she reached her limit for a man's bullshit. She also knew the demon that lived inside of Damon. Rose shuddered to consider what he might do if all was truly lost.

Rose blew on the steaming cup of tea in her hands as she idly stared out the balcony doors. She had arrived at the Claiborne Hotel thirty minutes ago. It was 11 o'clock in the morning, but Damon had still been asleep when she arrived. Despite the late hour, her boss looked as if he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Rose could only assume that something drastic had occurred because hours ago two armed men showed up at her house to protect her. While she didn't know the details of Damon's other business, she did understand the inherent danger. If her friend/boss thought she needed armed guards then she trusted him. Currently, the men were standing guard outside of Damon's suite.

Damon walked out of his bedroom fresh from the shower. He was dressed in a suit that Rose brought to the hotel for him. He hadn't bothered shaving that morning because he simply didn't have the energy. Damon had slept for a total of four hours. Unfortunately, those precious few hours were made restless by nightmares. Giuseppe was on the loose now because someone had warned him about the impending raid. Damon took full responsibility for the colossal failure and all of the collateral damage that had followed. In his escape, Giuseppe had slain seven men. Those men had families that were grieving their loss today. Four other men were seriously injured. Leo's condition was so precarious that he had to remain at the hospital in France. Luke Parker stayed behind to protect him and Sabine. However, it seemed unlikely that either would survive past the coming weekend.

Damon obviously had a leak in his organization. He planned to sniff out the traitor and make an example of him. However, finding his father was equally as important. Giuseppe had concrete proof now that his eldest son wanted him dead. The old man would most certainly retaliate. Giuseppe had tried to burn Sabine alive for simply providing Luke and Kai with the floor plans to her home. She had only agreed to assist Damon because she was worried about her young son being caught in the crossfire of a gun battle. Now that three-year-old boy was in the wind with their demented father. Damon's new plans for killing Giuseppe had to include retrieving young Victor safely. He would wager that was part of the reason his father had kidnapped the boy. Victor was an innocent child but more importantly, he had Salvatore blood pumping through his veins. Bonnie had been right when she said that blood meant everything.

Damon wasn't surprised to see that Rose had ordered a breakfast spread for him. She was always taking care of him in ways that went well beyond her official job description. He sat down at the table and poured a cup of coffee. This morning he forwent the cream that he normally added to his morning brew. Damon would need the caffeine boost if he intended to conduct business without needing a nap. He would be in and out of meetings all day to ensure that Giuseppe no longer had a foothold in the organization. Today, Damon would assume his rightful position as head of the family. In some ways, it felt as if everything in his life was falling apart at the same damn time. In other ways, it was all coming together.

He eyed the vitamins awaiting him on a saucer. Rose was more insistent about monitoring his health than even Bonnie was. Whenever he complained, his friend was quick to remind him of all the damage he had done to his body as a younger man. Frankly, a man that had lived as hard and fast as Damon had should have already died. The drinking and drugs had taken a toll on his body. However, it was the brushes with death that had left behind visible scars. He popped the vitamins in his mouth and washed them down with a glass of water.

Rose said, "I cleared your schedule for the next ten days. I was able to reschedule most of your appointments until after Christmas. The ones that could not wait were shifted to your uncle. I have already spoken with him this morning to confirm his availability."

He acknowledged Rose with a nod as he cut into the stack of pancakes on his plate. Damon enjoyed having an assistant that could anticipate his needs. Going forward, he would have even less time than he normally did. Damon was sorely tempted to step down from his position as CEO of Velocita. The company deserved someone at the helm that could devote their full attention. Zach was at the top of his list for possible replacements. However, the board would have to vote on the matter. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue but he was at odds with Bonnie. If she was staking her claim on the smuggling operation then it stood to reason that she would do the same with Velocita. Damon shook his head with a wry smile as he remembered how she had innocently asked for an internship at Velocita while they were in Shadow Hills. He didn't want to believe it but it seemed that his innocent wife had been playing him then, too.

"Thank you," he replied.

Rose took out her tablet so she could run down everything on their agenda. "I spoke to your lawyer and financial advisor yesterday about setting up Nadia's trust fund. It will be fully functional by end of business today."

Damon added more syrup to his pancakes and asked, "And it is structured the way that we agreed?"

Rose nodded, "Yes, it is structured in the same ways that Sarah's trust fund is. Nadia will not have full access to the trust fund until she is twenty-five years of age. However, she will begin receiving a monthly stipend when she turns 18-years-old. That stipend increases by 25% if she chooses to attend college. The monthly stipend increases by 50% if she has a child."

He sipped from his cup of coffee and nodded approvingly. "When will Joshua have my updated will ready for me to review?"

Suddenly, getting his affairs in order had become time sensitive. Damon didn't anticipate losing to Giuseppe. However, he had seen enough men die to know that people rarely anticipated their own deaths. He wasn't sure if it was the unpredictability of their business or because there was a feeling of invincibility that came with escaping death in the past. Unfortunately, Damon didn't have the luxury of behaving so myopically. He had four children and now a toddler-aged brother that would require years of financial care that he might not be around to provide.

"There was a slight delay because you wanted to add Victor Laurent to your will. However, I was assured that it would be sent over by courier before noon. If not I will personally go to his office to light a fire underneath him," Rose promised. "However, the draft I reviewed last night seemed to apply all of the changes you requested. Stefan will manage Nadia's inheritance in the event of your death."

"Good," he replied.

Rose had been thrilled when she learned that Katherine wouldn't have access to Nadia's inheritance. She didn't like nor did she trust the woman. Honestly, she didn't understand what Damon saw in Katherine. However, Rose was certain that Stefan would ensure his niece's well-being. He was always the more levelheaded of the two Salvatore brothers. Moreover, Stefan was a wizard with numbers.

"I spoke to Katherine last night. She is quite busy this week. However, she will make time to meet with me next week so that we can discuss her living arrangements. Is there a price range that you would like for us to stay within?"

Damon shook his head. "I trust your judgment, Rose. I know that you won't allow Katherine to go overboard. I already gave you my requirements on the house and neighborhood. Anything beyond those requirements is at your discretion."

She was certain that Katherine would be infuriated when she learned that Rose would be controlling the purse strings on her little house hunt. She intended to make Katherine understand that the house was meant for Damon's daughter. The girl's mother would simply be allowed the privilege of living in it.

Rose nodded. "I have already begun looking at potential properties in the proper school catchment areas. However, I am also inquiring about two of the more prestigious private schools near the manor as you requested. I also took the liberty of purchasing Christmas gifts for Nadia. I will have to speak to Katherine to learn if your daughter still believes in Santa Claus so that they may be addressed properly. Do you want the gifts at the manor or should I take them to the penthouse at the Rischard?"

Damon winced as he swallowed down a mouthful of pancake. He had honestly forgotten about Christmas. Rose had already taken care of Sarah and Bonnie's Christmas gifts for him. "You can have them delivered to the Manor for now. I haven't discussed Christmas with Katherine yet. I am not sure if I will see Nadia on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day."

"That's forgivable. You have been a little preoccupied these last few days. How is Bonnie?" she asked. Rose felt it necessary to remind her friend that he had another family in need of his attention.

He huffed out a tired breath and shook his head. "I can honestly say that I have absolutely no idea. Our lunch sort of went off the rails yesterday."

Rose frowned but she wasn't exactly surprised. She knew that Damon wanted to repair his family but he was a stubborn man. He wanted things fixed immediately instead of recognizing that the journey would take months—if not years. "What happened?"

"Too much to recount," he replied. He went quiet for a moment. "Did you know that Bonnie was dieting to impress me?"

Rose shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She said, "She never mentioned it to me but I noticed the weight loss. However, she did ask me about a plastic surgeon once. She wanted someone that would be discreet if she went in for a consultation. Fortunately, Caroline talked her out of the idea."

Damon shook his head. He slept in the bed with Bonnie most nights. He saw her naked at least a couple times a week. Damon didn't understand how he had missed the ways her body had changed. He didn't even want to consider why she had contemplated going under the knife. He was grateful that Caroline had talked sense into her.

"Bonnie sort of unloaded on me yesterday. She told me a few things and alluded to many more. I have really fucked up this whole thing. I don't know how to fix it," he confessed.

"I think that you have already made the first step. You went to see Dr. Correa and I know that wasn't easy for you. You're not exactly big on sharing your feelings," she replied.

He huffed out a wry laugh. "Desperation will do that to you. I love her. I can't imagine the rest of my life without her."

"I know and maybe that will never come to pass. Keep seeing the doctor and continue doing the work. It won't be easy but it is the best option that you have. Charming Bonnie is not going to work any longer. The pull you had over her has eroded with time. She is not the doe-eyed girl that was head over heels in love with you. She is a young woman that you have hurt a great deal."

He groaned. "I know. I also know that you have been warning me for years to get my shit together. I should have listened to you. I know that you were only trying to help me."

"I was trying to help you both but I understand why you didn't listen to me," she replied.

Damon smiled tiredly. He joked, "If only Bonnie could be as understanding as you are."

Rose laughed softly. "I wasn't nearly as understanding when you and I were an item. If you remember, I ended our relationship so that we didn't lose our friendship. The girls and the drugs were just too much for me to stomach long term. I thought I was worthy of a man that only wanted me. My guess is that Bonnie feels the same. In fact, I would wager that a large majority of women feel similarly."

"Katherine…" he began to argue.

"Katherine wants you to herself but knows that will never happen. She accepts your scraps because the alternative is finding a new benefactor that treats her as well as you do. I might even believe that she has come to love you with time. However, I am fairly certain she did an Irish jig when Bonnie met with her in Tenerife. She expects all of your attention to be devoted to her since your wife wants nothing to do with you. Don't fall into the trap of preferring the easy situation."

Damon ate a piece of bacon as he considered what Rose was saying to him. He asked, "What are you talking about?"

Rose reached out and took Damon's left hand. She squeezed it gently and said, "I love you, but you like taking the easy way out of relationships. You were relieved when I broke up with you. The only reason you turned up on my doorstep at three in the morning was because you were afraid of losing my friendship. You knew that our relationship was dead in the water months before it ended but you like the easy way. You didn't want to be the one to end it. This thing with Bonnie is hard. It will be the hardest you have ever had to work for a relationship in your whole life. The simplest solution is to give in to Bonnie. Give her the separation she wants and double down on your relationship with Katherine. You know she isn't going anywhere. Katherine is going to be thrilled to have more of your attention. The two of you have a daughter together now. You have missed seven years of that little girl's life. It would be so easy to play happy families with them but it wouldn't last for long. You will never love Katherine the way that you love Bonnie."

He swallowed thickly because Rose was right. He had seen Nadia every day since they were first introduced. Sometimes it was only an hour but he was determined to build a relationship with his daughter. Last night he had gone to the Rischard to have dinner with his daughter and Katherine. It all felt incredibly domestic and simple. However, it didn't stop him from thinking about Bonnie all evening. He left without even touching Katherine despite having the green light from his scorned wife. "Fuck," he muttered.

Rose said, "You are my best friend, Damon. You are like a brother to me. Honestly, I love you more than I love my biological brother. Trevor is a complete arsehole. I don't want to watch you throw away the life I know that you want. You love Bonnie. You just have a horrible way of showing her that."

He said, "I am glad that you are still my friend, Rose."

"I am not going anywhere. Do you know how much you pay me?" Rose asked with a smirk.

Damon chuckled. "Not nearly enough to put up with me."

"Well, I am always open to a raise. I've been thinking about buying a little get away for myself in the Seychelles," she teased.

He smiled good-naturedly and replied, "We should probably wait on that raise for awhile. I might not be able to afford it if Bonnie chooses to divorce me. I get the feeling that she would try to fleece me in a divorce."

"She would probably try and succeed. Bonnie seems like the type that has been building as case against you for years."

Damon's eyebrows furrowed because he had been thinking the same thing. If Sheila had collected information on Giuseppe, it was possible that she had schooled Bonnie to do the same. It would explain how she had come to learn about the penthouse he kept for Katherine.

"Well, let's hope that isn't the case. Miss Sheila made sure our prenuptial agreement was ironclad and punitive."

Rose said, "That's one of the reasons that I plan to visit Bonnie today. I want to get a sense of where her head is now. She is combative with you because you have hurt her. I hope that she will be a little more open with me. She and I have become close since you were married."

Damon said, "Thank you for doing that. Frankly, I can use all the help that I can get with Bonnie. She has surrounded herself with family and I am sure none of them are exactly singing my praises."

She shrugged with a small smirk. "What are best friends/ex-girlfriends/assistants for?"

His blue eyes twinkled with mirth as he finished his cup of coffee. He said, "Enzo would disagree with the bestfriend portion of that description. He is so jealous of you."

"And he should be because I am your best friend and always will be. You would think that he would be used to being second banana by now," Rose replied airily.

"It's just because you won't give him the time of day," he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She rolled her eyes. "He is smarmy. Besides, I have always had the feeling that trashy women were more his type. He certainly seems fond of Katherine."

He chuckled at Rose's blatant shot at Katherine. Damon was well aware of Enzo's affection for his mistress. However, he trusted Enzo not to cross that line again. The fallout after they both dated Sybil had been enough of a lesson for the friends. However, now he wondered if maybe he should step out of the way. Perhaps Katherine and Enzo dating was what he needed to keep himself honest. Damon realized that willpower alone wouldn't do the trick. He wouldn't be a functional alcoholic if he were any good at quitting the things that were bad for him. He had needed professional help to shake his cocaine addiction.

"You can admit that I have ruined you for other men," he joked.

Rose chuckled quietly. "My boyfriend would beg to differ."

The mobster sat up more in his chair and grinned at Rose. "You have a boyfriend? Why haven't I met him yet?"

She huffed. "I don't know. It could be that you scared away the last two men that I have dated."

"They aren't good enough for you, if they scare so easily," he replied in a nonchalant voice. "What's his name?"

"His name is Alistair and that is all I am going to tell you about him. We have only been dating for a few weeks and I will not let you sabotage this relationship—yet."

Damon opened his mouth to complain but stopped when his phone began to ring. He frowned when he saw that Caroline was calling him. She wasn't exactly speaking to him at the moment. It was meant to be a show of solidarity for Bonnie. He could understand why Caroline would take his wife's side in their conflict. If he was honest, everyone thought he was a dick but most didn't have the cache to express that sentiment. "Hello?"

 _She sniffled, "Damon, you have to come home now. It's Stefan. He just came back from his appointment and he is losing it in the library."_

"What do you mean he is losing it?" he asked.

" _He is throwing things around in the room. He won't talk to me. I don't know what to do. I'm scared that he is going to hurt himself, Damon. His hands are all cut up and he won't tell me how it happened."_

Damon's heart began to beat faster. He had been waiting for the other shoe to drop with his brother and this was it. He scrubbed a hand over his face and said, "It will take 30 minutes for me to get there. In the meantime, you stay away from him. If he wants to destroy shit…let him. All of it can be replaced."

" _I have to do something, Damon! He's in pain. I can't just leave him in there alone. He has been having trouble sleeping for weeks now. He started buying energy drinks to help him stay awake. I tried talking to him but he just kept saying that everything was okay. I asked him to talk to you but he said that you were too busy."_

Damon said, "Stefan isn't himself right now. But he will never forgive himself if you get hurt. Let him burn himself out, Caroline."

" _We're not talking about Nico having a tantrum here. I am worried. He has a gun, Damon. I am scared that he might kill himself," she admitted as a sob wracked her body._

"Even more of a reason for you to stay out of the fucking way! I will be there soon. Just do what I say for once, kid. Okay?"

" _Okay," Caroline said in a shaky voice._

Damon was out of his chair as soon as he ended the call. He marched out of his suite and barked at one of the guards. "Let's go. Now!"

The man scurried to the elevator and pressed the call button. He took out his phone and texted the guard stationed at the car. The man's job was to keep an eye on the hotel's main entrance. They had another guard stationed in the lobby to prevent an ambush. Giuseppe knew the hotels his son liked to frequent.

Rose hurried out of the room behind Damon. "What can I do?"

Damon groaned and said, "Find a discreet facility. We might have to commit Stefan depending on what I am walking into at the manor."

She nodded and began scrolling through the contacts on her phone. Rose followed Damon and the guards onto the elevator.

"What do you think you are doing?" he asked. Damon put his hand out to block the doors from closing.

"I am coming with you," Rose deadpanned. She didn't bother looking up from her phone.

"No," Damon snapped. "It could be dangerous. You need to stay here."

Rose said, "We really don't have time for you to make this argument and subsequently lose it. I will stay in the car once we get there if that is what you want. But I am not staying here. I care about Stefan, too."

Damon growled but she was right. There wasn't enough time to argue. The traffic would already make this trip longer than it needed to be. He stepped back. "Fine but you stay in the car with a guard until I give the all clear."

She nodded in understanding. "I will, Damon."

They took the elevator down to the hotel's lobby. Fortunately, the driver was waiting at the curb when they walked outside.

Everyone piled into the waiting SUV before it sped away from the Claiborne.

Damon sent a 911 text message to Zach and Alaric with instructions to meet him at the manor. However, they were both in Los Angeles and it would take them even longer to make it home. Damon would be walking into whatever this was on his own. He wondered if this was about Stefan's appointment with Dr. Correa. They were supposed to discuss the results of his psychological evaluation. Damon hoped that if it was truly bad news that she wouldn't have let his brother walk out her office. Stefan was the nice Salvatore brother but as he had reminded his brother…he did not escape their abusive childhood unscathed. Stefan was probably more likely to crack under the pressure because he tried so hard to be the good one.

This was a terrible time for Stefan to lose his marbles. Giuseppe would certainly find some way to use that against them. However, Damon was willing to put Stefan's sanity first. He wouldn't sacrifice his brother in this war with their father.

The drive to the manor was practically silent except for Rose's accented voice. She spent the time feverishly looking for a facility far away from the paparazzi-ravaged hub of Southern California.

The car had barely stopped before Damon hopped out and ran into the manor. He made a beeline for the secluded corridor where the library was located. That area of the manor was usually off limits to everyone but members of the Salvatore organization. Giuseppe's study was located further down the corridor. It wasn't hard to keep the kids away from the area because they believed it was haunted. Damon and Stefan had the same belief when they were little boys. The corridor was poorly lit and oil paintings of the previous dons hung on the wood panel walls. Damon used to think the eyes in the paintings followed him when he walked past.

Caroline rushed into Damon's arms as soon as he turned the corner. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. "I didn't know who to call, Damon. Stefan is freaking out and he won't tell me what's wrong. He won't talk to me at all. I offered to call your uncles but he snatched the phone right out of my hand."

He gently grasped Caroline's face and said, "Take a deep breath and calm down. Did he hurt you?"

Caroline's entire body shuddered as she tried to follow Damon's instructions. "No. Stefan isn't so far gone that he would hurt me. He is so angry, Damon. I have never seen him like this before. What's happening to him?"

The mobster took a deep breath and gave his sister-in-law a reassuring smile. "Stefan has just been under some stress lately. It is my fault. I have been putting too much pressure on him but that is over now. I will make sure that Stef takes some time off. You have my word."

She didn't believe Damon for a second. Caroline knew her husband well. The display she had just witnessed in the library wasn't simply stress from a high pressure job. Something was wrong with her husband and she was terrified. However, she trusted Damon to help Stefan. The brothers had their moments of conflict but she had never seen two siblings so devoted to one another. She nodded. "Okay."

"Why don't you take off for a couple of hours? Get some fresh air. I promise that Stefan will be fine by the time you make it back."

The blonde young woman nodded numbly. "Help him. Please…"

He kissed her forehead. "I will."

Caroline glanced over her shoulder at the library's double doors once more before sliding out of Damon's arms. "Call me when he's better."

Damon nodded. "You will be my first call, Blondie. I promise."

She took a deep breath and then walked out of the corridor. It was a physical pain to leave her husband behind when he was in need but Caroline knew that she was overmatched.

The mobster looked at the two guards that had followed him into the manor. He said, "No one comes down this hallway without my permission."

The two men nodded in understanding.

Damon opened the door and walked into the room. He frowned at the mess that Stefan had made. Some furniture had been overturned and books were strewn across the floor. Damon's chest tightened when he saw his baby brother huddled in the corner with his head in his hands. He could hear his quiet sobs even at that distance. However, the mobster was most concerned by the .45 on the floor beside his brother.

He pushed the door closed with a soft click and walked over to Stefan. Damon slowly sat down beside him. He put the safety on the gun and then tucked it into his waistband. "Stef…"

Stefan raised his head to look at his older brother. He choked out a sob, "I'm not crazy."

"No one is saying that you are," he replied.

He gave his brother a deadpan look.

"Well, you aren't any crazier than anyone else in this family is. What's going on? What has you so strung out that you are destroying Nonna Constanza's library? You know she is going to haunt your ass."

Stefan's gaze shifted to their great-grandmother's portrait hanging above the fireplace. "Probably," he muttered miserably.

The massive room had been a wedding gift from their great-grandfather to their great-grandmother. She had been a schoolteacher before she married into the Salvatore family. Two of the four walls in the room were covered with floor to ceiling shelves filled with books in a variety of languages. There were some shelves on the third wall but there was also a large stone fireplace at the very center. The fourth wall contained three arched windows. However, expensive silk drapes covered the windows to protect the book collection from the sun's damaging UV rays. A baby grand piano sat in front of the windows. It didn't see much use now but Lilly had taught Damon to the play before she abandoned them.

Damon rested his hand on the back of Stefan's bowed head. "What's going on, brother?"

"I'm not bipolar," he answered. However, his voice was muffled against the fabric his jeans.

He asked, "Is that what Dr. Correa told you?"

He nodded.

"Then I don't understand what is happening right now. Not having bipolar is a good thing. Right?"

Stefan swallowed thickly as he looked up. However, he averted his gaze. He couldn't bear to look into his older brother's concerned eyes. "I didn't want to have bipolar. I know how much Mom has struggled with managing her medication over the years. But I was hoping that a diagnosis of something would explain my nightmares. Dr. Correa thinks that I may have generalized anxiety disorder but she refused to make a diagnosis until we explore my nightmares more. She thinks they are repressed memories."

Damon bit back the nasty remark about Lilly that was on the tip of his tongue.

"I know that you think my nightmares are just a product of the overactive imagination of a child but I don't think so, Damon. Mom said that it happened and I believe her. I think part of me always thought that it was real but I didn't want to have to address it."

"Address it?" Damon asked.

Stefan sighed deeply. "I know that you hate her but she's our mother. If he hurt her that way…I have to do something."

Damon suddenly realized that the gun hadn't been for Stefan to use on himself. He cleared his throat and said, "Alaric is an asshole. I will give you that. He's a shit husband and father. I will give you that, too. He's a degenerate drunk and he gambles too much. He occasionally uses coke when he thinks none of us are paying attention to him. However, I can say with certainty that he's no woman batterer or a rapist."

"How do you know? How do you know what he was like damn near 20 years ago, Damon?"

Damon scrubbed at his scruffy face in annoyance because Stefan had a point. Alaric was seriously off his rocker for a while. He had gone off the reservation after Abby refused to marry him. Worse yet, Giuseppe had allowed his younger brother to self-destruct because it made him more lethal against their enemies. Alaric had always been a skilled killer. However, losing Abby had exposed the part of him that enjoyed maiming and killing people. Damon struggled to piece together a timeline that would exonerate their uncle. Unfortunately, there was too much overlap to rule out anything.

"She left because of him, Damon. She didn't leave because of Dad abusing her. Mom left because of what Ric did to her. She told me that she couldn't live in the same house with him any longer," Stefan swore.

"Did it ever occur to you that our cunt of a mother could be lying? How can you believe her word as gospel? What has she ever done for either of us, Stef? She decided to save her own ass and left us to bear the brunt of Giuseppe's abuse."

Stefan shook his head. "I am not just taking her word for it, Damon. I have been having the same dream for as long as I can remember. If it was my imagination, it should have faded by now. It's not as if I am dreaming of being naked in front of my class."

Damon said, "Tell me about the nightmare."

"Why? You have heard it a million times," he said in exasperation.

He shook his head. "I heard the details from the prepubescent version of you. You barely had a handle on the anatomical names for body parts at that age. I want to hear what adult Stefan remembers about his nightmare."

Stefan swallowed and then looked down at his hands. His hands were bruised and cut up from repeatedly punching a wall. "The nightmare always starts off the same. I hear screaming from down the hall and things breaking. I go look for you because I am scared but you aren't in your room. I can't find you anywhere. I ended up going to our parents' room. I push open the door and I see Zio on top of our mother. He's naked and her skirt is up around her waist. I run out of the room and hide in your closet."

Damon asked, "What did Lilly tell you?"

"She said that the nightmare was real. I really did walk in on her and Zio."

He prodded. "Did she say that Ric raped her?"

"Not in so many words," Stefan said.

Damon rested his head back against the bookshelf. "Then there are two possible scenarios here. He might have raped Lilly. If that is the case…you have my blessing to exact whatever revenge you think is appropriate."

"I'm going to kill him," Stefan said through gritted teeth.

He said, "And I would let you. However, there is a second scenario that you haven't considered, Stefan. Maybe they were just having an affair. Giuseppe treated Lilly like shit. He was cheating on her with anything that had two sets of lips. Sheila was practically his second wife and she was here every holiday and during the summers. Lilly couldn't have been oblivious to that. Not to mention he was smacking her around like a prizefighter. Zio was all fucked up because Abby wouldn't marry him. Then she left the country and he really lost his shit. Giuseppe was always riding his ass about the business. Maybe it was a revenge fuck."

Stefan blinked as he looked at his older brother. "Why didn't she just say that?"

"Because she is a bitch that wants to turn you against us."

He glared at Damon.

"Maybe she didn't think you would assume it was a rape. You need more details before you decide to kill our uncle," Damon said.

"But if he is guilty…"

Damon said, "If he admits to it or if I even think there is a possibility that he did it, I'll hand you the gun myself."

Stefan took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Thanks, Damon."

Damon pulled his younger brother into a hug. "C'mere."

If anyone else were around Stefan would have resisted the hug. However, he felt burned out right then. Stefan took a deep breath and tried to settle his nerves. "I almost killed him."

The older of the two didn't move. He kept his arms around Stefan. "What do you mean?"

"When I left Dr. Correa's office…I drove over to _Peppe's_ because I knew that he would be there. I had it planned out in my head. I was going to ask Zio to meet me in the office and I was going to kill him."

 _Peppe's_ was a boxing gym that their grandfather had purchased in the 1950's. The gym doubled as a meeting place for the Salvatore criminal organization. Domenico changed the gym's name to _Peppe's_ after Giuseppe was born. Domenico had been an avid boxing fan. He was known for climbing into the ring to spar with the boxers that worked out there. However, Domenico never let them take a dive against him. If he lost a bout, he shook the fighter's hand to congratulate him. He always said that a man unable to accept defeat was a man unfit to lead. Over the years, the gym had produced a handful of successful boxers. It remained open as a tribute to Domenico.

Damon could have kicked himself for not realizing how close to the edge Stefan had been. The nightmares had been occurring with a higher frequency lately and it was obviously having a profound effect on him. "What stopped you?"

"He had Cooper with him," he muttered.

Damon kissed the crown of Stefan's head. The brothers sat there in silence for nearly 30 minutes. Damon could tell by Stefan's even breathing that he was close to falling asleep. "Come on, kid. Don't fall asleep here."

"I'm not falling asleep," Stefan mumbled in a petulant voice. He sat up and leaned against the bookcase but his eyelids were drooping.

"Come on, Stef. Caroline said that you haven't been getting enough sleep at night. You need to rest. You are going to need a clear head when Zio gets here."

Stefan ran a hand over his head and groaned. "The nightmares…"

Damon nodded in understanding. "Then try to nap on the couch in here. I'll stay with you."

"I'm not a child," he complained.

"No, you aren't a child. But you are my little brother. It's my job to make sure that you are always okay. I haven't really been doing my job lately."

Stefan shook his head. "I'm not your responsibility. I should have sought help when the nightmares started up again. I should have at least talked to you about it. I let myself spiral out of control."

Damon smiled wryly. "We're Salvatores. We are emotionally constipated."

He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. "God. I scared Caroline so bad."

"She was more worried about you than she was scared of you, Stef. She just wanted me to help you."

"I should call her."

Damon shook his head. "I will handle Blondie. You go lie down."

Stefan nodded and slowly got to his feet. He walked over the mess he had made in the room. He sat down on the couch and toed off his sneakers before lying down.

Damon got up and turned off the lights. Then he sat on the couch that was across from Stefan. He took out his phone and sent Caroline a quick text message.


	36. Russian Roulette

Damon frowned as he parked in front of the house Abby shared with his uncle. Several cars lined the street outside of the pricey two-story home. As Damon turned off the car, he wondered if Bonnie's cousins from Milazzo had arrived. He was not the type of person to fear facing anyone. Giuseppe had beaten anything resembling fear out of him years ago. However, everyone knew that Damon and Cesare were quick to anger when it came to matters of family. Big John's eldest grandson despised Damon and never made much of an effort to hide it. The two men had gotten along well enough before he married Bonnie. Cesare, like a great deal of Bonnie's family, resented Sheila's decision to give the future of their family to Damon. In hindsight, he couldn't help but feel that they had been right.

He smoothed a hand over his hair and groaned in frustration. Damon was only here to return Cooper to his mother. Damon had confronted his uncle at _Peppe's_ about an hour ago with Zacharias as back up. This was a matter best handled by blood alone. At first, he thought he could allow Alaric to drop the boy off at home before meeting them at the manor. Unfortunately, his uncle became indignant at the mere suggestion that he would have to answer for the content of Stefan's nightmares. He went as far as to accuse Damon of enabling his younger brother's obvious mental illness. It took an immense amount of willpower to keep him from knocking Alaric on his ass. However, he had restrained himself for the sake of his six-year-old cousin. He saw no reason to traumatize the next generation.

Damon had decided that he would take Cooper home while Zacharias escorted Alaric to the Salvatore Manor. He would have gotten the boy home sooner but he had stopped off for donuts to soothe him. He had been understandably upset by the argument he overheard while at _Peppe's_. The office's walls hadn't been thick enough to shield the boy from the raucous conversation. Fortunately, after a cup of hot cocoa and two chocolate glazed donuts Cooper was a cheerful little boy once again. Well, he did pout a bit when Damon refused to allow him to have a third donut. However, the blue-eyed mobster was mindful of Alaric's story of Cooper eating too many churros and then promptly throwing up in the back of his car. Damon was in no mood for the kid to befoul a car that cost more than some people's homes.

He looked at the boy and asked, "Can you get out of the booster seat on your own?"

The boy looked at him with as much disdain as a six-year-old could manage. He promptly unbuckled his seatbelt and said, "I'm not a baby."

Damon held back a chuckle as he raised his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry."

Cooper opened the door and climbed out of the car. Then he slung his Spider-Man backpack over his shoulder.

Damon climbed out of the car and grabbed the two boxes of donuts he had purchased. He figured it wouldn't be fair to give Cooper sweets when there were three other kids back home. Besides, he had bought a dozen bear claws because they were Bonnie's favorite.

A guard climbed out of the SUV that had been tailing their car. "Sir?"

The mobster shook his head. "You can stay out here. I won't be long."

The man nodded and glanced around the street to ensure no one was watching Damon or the house.

Damon was about to approach the front door when he heard music coming from behind the house. The telltale aroma of BBQ also wafted towards his direction. He said, "Sounds like everyone is around back."

Cooper took off around the side of the house. He stopped at the electronic gate that led to the backyard. "Mama! I'm home!" he screeched at the top of his lungs.

Damon snorted and shook his head.

A moment later, Tyler appeared behind the eight-foot wrought iron gate. He was surprised to see Damon standing there. He quickly entered the security code and then pushed the gate open. "Hey, little dude."

Copper grinned. "Hi, Tyler! I had donuts!"

Tyler chuckled and ruffled his curly hair. He nodded to the chocolate frosting around his mouth. "I can see that."

The boy took off like a bat out of hell when he saw Jamie and Cesare playing basketball with another boy about Cooper's age. "I wanna play! Can I play, Jamie? Jamie, can I play?"

Tyler said, "Uh, Bonnie is back here if you wanted to see her."

He nodded. "Yeah. Can you take these? I bought donuts."

The younger man took the boxes and headed into the backyard. He nodded his head in the direction of where Bonnie and Lexi were laughing and talking. "I'll go put these somewhere. They'll be gone soon with these little crumb snatchers."

Rudy was seated near the grill with a bottle of beer. However, the older man made a point of glaring at his son-in-law. Abby had filled him in on Bonnie's reasons for separating from Damon. To put it mildly, he wasn't pleased.

Brady was manning the BBQ grill with Lucy playing backseat grillmeister. "Move them away from the hot spot. You're going to burn the ribs."

"Woman," Brady growled in warning.

"I'm just trying to help," Lucy replied with a grin.

Damon made his way over to Bonnie but he was casually keeping his eye on Rudy. Alaric was going to lose his shit when he found out the bastard was just chilling at a party in his backyard. Well, he would lose his shit if Stefan didn't murder him before the night was out. Damon was reminded of just how complicated his life was right now. He was at his uncle's house but it felt as if he was walking into enemy territory.

He stopped beside the wicker sectional couch where Bonnie and Lexi were seated. The blonde mother of three was showing Bonnie pictures on her phone. Damon's eyes were automatically drawn to his wife's cleavage. He wasn't happy that she was wearing such a low cut spaghetti strap dress. The cardigan she wore over it didn't make it any more modest. He cleared his throat. "Bunny…"

Bonnie looked up when she heard her husband's voice. She said, "Hey. What are you doing here?"

Damon knew it was a fair question but it sounded so cold. The pain in his chest was becoming annoyingly familiar. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just here dropping Cooper off for Zio. Something came up and he couldn't bring him home. I couldn't leave without seeing you and Sarah first."

Bonnie said, "Oh. Sarah is over at the playhouse. I'll walk over there with you."

He nodded in Lexi's direction and then began walking with Bonnie. "How are you feeling?"

"I am okay," she replied.

"I am sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean for everything to go so off the rails."

The young woman shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Damon took Bonnie's hand and stopped her from walking. "It is a big deal for me. I didn't come here yesterday to make things worse. I know that you don't believe it but I love you, Bonnie."

She nodded. "It's fine. I know I dropped a bombshell on you yesterday."

He huffed out a laugh. "Yeah. You could say that."

Bonnie smiled a little as she slipped out of his grasp. "Come on. Sarah will be happy to see you."

He followed Bonnie over to the grand playhouse. Damon had the feeling that he would be splashing out for something similar for Sarah. He whistled lowly.

The green-eyed girl giggled. "I know right? You should see the inside. There is a child sized chandelier in there."

Damon's eyes widened. "No shit?"

She shook her head as she knocked on the door. "Bambolina, someone is here to see you."

Sarah poked her head out one of the windows and squealed. "Papa!"

A moment later, the door flew open and Sarah had attached herself to Damon's legs.

Damon scooped up his daughter and hugged her close. The tightness in his chest intensified. All Damon wanted to do was take his family home but he knew they were a long way away from that. He pulled back and smiled. "Have you been a good girl for your mama?"

She nodded. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I helped Nonna and Mama make struffy."

Damon looked at Bonnie for clarification.

"Oh, we made struffoli this afternoon," Bonnie explained.

Sarah nodded and said, "I got to roll the balls all by myself. It's a secret recipe and that means I cannot tell you, Papa."

Damon grinned and tickled her side. "What do you mean you can't tell me? What if I want to know how to make yummy struffoli, too?"

The girl shook her head as she giggled and squirmed in her father's arms. "I cannot, Papa. Only the girls can know the family secret. Right, Mama?"

"That's right, bambolina. Nonna Emily taught my grams how to make struffoli. Then my grams taught me when I was about your age. And now your nonna has taught you, too," Bonnie replied with a wide grin.

"See, Papa," Sarah said as she widened her big blue eyes for emphasis. "Can Papa have some struffy, Mama?"

She smiled. "I don't see why not. There are mountains of it in the kitchen."

Damon said, "Well, I can't wait to try to it."

"You are gonna love it, Papa."

"Of course I will, you made it," he replied.

Bonnie bit her lip as she walked to the house with her husband and daughter. Moments like these reminded her of the reasons she loved him. Damon could be gentle and loving when he wanted to be. Bonnie felt grateful that he was always that way with their daughter. However, Bonnie's mind quickly supplied her with all the times Damon left her feeling like something stuck to the bottom of his shoe. His being a good father didn't make him an adequate husband.

She walked into the kitchen where Abby was taking two large pans of macaroni and cheese out of the oven. The girl's mouth literally started watering.

Abby noted her daughter's hungry expression. "Not ready just yet, baby girl. It needs more cheese."

Damon said, "Hi, Abby. I brought Cooper home for you."

She nodded as she added more cheese to the top. "Thank you for bringing him home, Damon. Tyler told me when he brought the donuts into the house. Thanks for those as well."

"Not a problem," he replied.

Bonnie said, "Sarah wanted Damon to try some of the struffoli we made."

Abby grinned at her granddaughter. "She did such a good job today."

Sarah smiled up at Damon. "I told you, Papa."

Bonnie grabbed one of the trays and placed it on the counter. "Go on. Give it a try."

Damon picked up one of the honey sweetened dough balls and popped it into his mouth. He had loved struffoli as a kid. However, the struffoli Sheila made around Christmas was always his favorite. They had successfully replicated the recipe.

Sarah looked at her father expectantly as he popped a second one into his mouth.

Bonnie chuckled. "I think that Papa likes it."

"These are great. You did such a good job, bambolina." He looked at Abby and asked, "Think I might be able to get a few to go?"

Abby rolled her eyes playfully but nodded. "Take as much as you would like. We have plenty and I will end up making more in the coming days. Today was just a trial run."

Sarah hugged Damon's neck and said, "We're gonna have a Christmas party, Papa. And I'm gonna meet more cousins. They live in another country."

Damon smiled wistfully as he listened to his little girl ramble.

Bonnie felt a pang of guilt when she noted the expression on Damon's face. She knew that he had to be missing Sarah. She said, "You should show your papa the playhouse, bambolina. I'll bring out the struffoli in a little bit."

"Okay! Come on, Papa. You gotta come inside and see it. It's so pretty. Mama can fit in there so you can, too," Sarah said.

Damon chuckled. He was powerless against those blue eyes that looked so much like his own. He couldn't stay long but he wasn't about to pass up time with Sarah.

Bonnie watched as Damon carried Sarah outside. "You know he is going to tell Ric that Dad was here, right?"

Abby waved her daughter off as she found a storage container for the struffoli. "I don't care what he tells Alaric. Rudy is here as your father. I don't need his permission to invite anyone to my home."

"He really messed up putting this house in your name," Bonnie joked as she washed her hands.

She smirked. "He didn't want to but I insisted. I have never called a place home that didn't have my name on it. That is how you end up homeless or under someone's thumb. I am too damn old for either of those scenarios. I am just old period."

Bonnie rolled her eyes as she started loading struffoli into the container. "You are not old."

Abby huffed as she searched for the container's lid. "I am old enough."

The girl leaned against the counter with a mischievous smile. "Well, there are a few people that think you still look good. I have seen how Dad has been looking at you all evening. Lucy was right about him being interested. It is kinda gross but sweet in some ways. I've never really been able to picture the two of you not hating each other."

She chuckled. "We loved each other once upon a time, baby girl. I know that is hard to imagine but it is the truth. He can be interested all he wants now. I already have one good for nothing man in life. I don't have time or space for another. I would be celibate but Benedettos are passionate people. I wouldn't last a month."

Bonnie wasn't sure that she believed Abby was completely unaffected by Rudy's overtures. She knew how intoxicating it could be to feel wanted. However, it wasn't exactly a conversation she wanted to have with her mother. Whatever was going on between her parents wasn't the young woman's concern unless it somehow affected the plans for Niklaus or if Rudy was stupid enough to put his hands on Abby. Bonnie wouldn't be as merciful as Sheila had been eighteen years ago.

Damon walked into the kitchen with a pinched expression. "I have to run. Something came up. I promise I will make it up to Sarah tomorrow. Would it be okay if I picked her up in the morning?"

"Sure, I didn't have anything planned. We were just going to hang around the house tomorrow. What time should I have her ready?"

"Uh, 8 o'clock would be good. I'll take her out to breakfast so you don't have to worry about feeding her. I will probably keep Sarah for most of the day."

Bonnie nodded as she took the storage container from her mother. She handed it to him and said, "I'll have her ready by eight then."

"Thank you," Damon said. He cupped her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She gazed into his eyes and tensed at what she saw there. "Is everything okay?"

He forced a smile and kissed her forehead. "I'm fine, bunny. I'll see you in the morning."

Damon walked out of the house and climbed into his car. He dropped the container of struffoli on the passenger seat and took a deep breath. He hated having to leave his wife and daughter again. Nothing about this situation felt right to him. Damon started the car and then floored it as he drove away from the house.

Zacharias had called while Damon allowed Sarah to tell him about all the fun she was having while staying at Abby's house. Apparently, Stefan was getting antsy with Alaric being at the manor and yet unable to speak to him. Damon couldn't say that he blamed his brother. The situation piqued his curiosity, too. He didn't want to believe that his uncle was a rapist, but Ric's reaction at the gym had been disconcerting. Damon made no secret of the fact that he hated Lilly. He could barely speak her name without inserting some sort of vulgarity. However, there was no set of circumstances where Damon would ignore someone raping his mother.

It was dark by the time Damon made it home. He grabbed his struffoli as he climbed out of the car. He planned to indulge in the sweet pastry instead of falling into a bottle of bourbon as he was tempted to do. He needed to maintain a level head tonight. Ric was behaving strangely and Stefan was too close to the edge to behave rationally. Unfortunately, Zacharias was a wild card, too. They were already on the path to killing Giuseppe. His uncle might be reluctant to see his other brother die for a crime committed nearly two decades ago.

He walked into the house and was glad to hear the silence. Zacharias had promptly dismissed the staff early and instructed them to return in the morning. Only the guards were left behind to protect the estate. Zacharias had also encouraged Meredith and Caroline to take the children out for the evening. The women opted for dinner, a movie, and a tour to see the Christmas lights. With any luck, they would stay out until after Damon and Zacharias had sorted out the situation between Alaric and Stefan.

Damon walked into the living room where his uncles were currently a sharing a drink.

Alaric motioned to the crystal decanter.

The younger man shook his head. "Where is Stefan?"

"He's in the library," Zach replied. "He's cleaning up the mess he made earlier."

Ric huffed and shook his head. "I can't believe we are capitulating to what amounts to a temper tantrum. You are coddling him, Damon."

Damon tensed at his uncle's assessment. Ric hadn't seen how overwrought Stefan was earlier. He said, "It's better than his original plan which was to shoot you in the face at _Peppe's_."

The older man's eyes widen and he asked, "What?"

"When Stefan showed up at the gym, he planned to shoot you in the face. He had a gun with him and everything. The only reason he didn't go through with it was because you had Cooper with you. He didn't want to traumatize the kid by spraying your brain matter all over the office's walls," Damon answered.

Ric sat down heavily on the couch. He licked his lips. "The little bastard was really going to kill me?"

"Stefan has been suffering in silence for God knows how long. He is not sleeping at night because he is afraid to dream of you raping Lilly. The five hour nap I made him take this afternoon was the longest he has slept at one time in weeks. I found out that he has lost his appetite lately. The doctor wants to put him on medication for anxiety. He is all twisted up inside by this shit and it ends tonight. Hell, if you weren't my uncle I would let him kill you right now just to put this matter to bed—guilty or not."

"He thinks that I raped, Lilly?" he asked. He shook his head in disbelief.

Damon said, "Let's move this discussion to the library."

Ric was trying to understand how this even happened. He asked, "Do you think that I raped your mother?"

"I don't know what to think. Stefan is convinced that his nightmares are real. Lilly told him that the nightmare is real. You are acting suspicious to say the least. I will make Stefan hear you out if there is a better explanation for what he saw…"

Zacharias put a hand on his older brother's shoulder. He looked at his nephew and said, "Give us a moment."

Damon nodded and headed into the library. He was surprised by how much progress Stefan had made. It looked as if Blondie's knack for organization had rubbed off on him. He asked, "How are you feeling?"

Stefan stopped sweeping and said, "I'm better than I was earlier. I feel clearer now."

"Did you eat?"

He shook his head. "Sophie left before she could cook dinner. I'm not really hungry anyway."

Damon frowned at his younger brother but it would be hypocritical to chastise him. Rose was always after him to eat more and drink less. He sat down on the couch and opened the container of struffoli. He popped one in his mouth and then tilted the container towards his brother in silent offer.

Stefan was a sucker for sweets, too. He walked over and took a few. Stefan ate the struffoli quickly despite his lack of appetite. "These taste just like the ones Sheila used to make for us. Who made these?"

"Abby, Bonnie, and Sarah," he replied with a smile.

Stefan sat beside his brother and asked, "How are Bonnie and Sarah doing?"

He shook his head and said, "They're doing great without me."

Stefan's eyebrows furrowed and he said, "I'm sure that's not true."

"They look happy and settled."

"I'm sorry, Damon."

"It is what it is. I don't have anyone to blame but myself. I will figure a way to get my family back. You know me…I never give up."

Stefan nodded. "I know. You can be annoyingly persistent when something is important enough."

Zach and Alaric walked into the room. The two brothers sat down on the couch across from their nephews.

Stefan stiffened when he saw Ric. His fingers itched to hold his gun again. However, Damon had confiscated it earlier.

Ric scrubbed at his face for a moment before really looking at his nephew. For the first time, he recognized the unadulterated hate staring back at him. "I've done a lot of heinous shit in my life, Stefan. I have done things that I know will cast me into the deepest pit of hell when I die. However, I have never raped a woman and I never would."

"Are you saying that I am making up? Do you think that my mind just conjured this disturbing memory for kicks? My mom said that I walked in on the two of you. Is she lying to me?" he demanded.

He shook his head. "She's not lying to you but Lilly also didn't give you the full story. I didn't rape her. I was having an affair with her."

Stefan stiffened. "I don't believe you. Damon fed you that bullshit to appease me."

Damon grabbed his brother's arm to prevent him from fleeing. "I didn't tell him shit but that you believe that he raped Lilly. I kept all my theories to myself. I swear on Sarah's life."

Stefan's nostrils flared but he slowly sat down. Damon wouldn't swear on the life of his child unless he meant it. The younger man swallowed thickly while staring at his uncle. He looked for sincerity but all he saw was the monster from his dreams. "I don't believe you. Mom said that she abandoned us because of you."

Ric licked his lips and said, "That is a bit of revisionist history on her part. Lilly left because we made some stupid decisions. Namely we weren't using condoms."

Damon's lips curled in disgust. He could do without the details but he understood that Stefan needed a reasonable explanation for his dream and the aftermath.

"Lilly found out that she was pregnant a couple of weeks before she left Giuseppe. She was terrified of what he would do when he found out because they weren't having sex. He would have immediately known the baby couldn't be his."

Stefan looked puzzled. "What happened to the baby?"

"She had a miscarriage not long after she moved to Paris," he explained.

Stefan shook his head. "You are a selfish son of a bitch. You could have gotten her killed. You know what Giuseppe would have done to my mother if he ever found out about the two of you."

Ric glowered at him. "Hey! It takes two to tango. I didn't have to do much to coerce Lilly into my bed. She was willing and eager to spread her legs for me—anytime and anywhere."

Damon's jaw tightened. "Whoa! That's my fucking mother you're talking about. I hate the bitch but you aren't going to talk about her like that in front of me and Stefan."

Stefan shook his head as he tried to make sense of everything. "In my nightmare, I heard things breaking. It's the reason I went looking for Damon and ultimately ended up in my parents' bedroom. The two of you were fighting, right?"

Ric was getting tired of defending himself to everyone. It seemed lately that he was being bombarded by everyone in his life. Abby and Jo certainly seemed to hate him and Jamie still refused to speak to him. Now Stefan was joining the party.

He stood up and yelled, "Lilly is no delicate flower! Okay? After years of the rough stuff with Giuseppe, she liked to be manhandled a bit. I have to say it kinda did it for me, too. The sex was always more passionate after we had a good fight but I wasn't slapping her around."

Zach groaned and put his head in his hands. He needed a vacation—a long one. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Damon said, "I should fucking kill you for even making me think about my mother liking rough sex. I am going to need extra counseling for all this shit."

Stefan put his head in his hands and muttered, "Me, too."

"I'm just trying to be honest here so that you two little assholes don't murder me! I never raped anyone. Call Lilly and ask her yourself. We had an affair for a while but it was consensual. I have my faults but I am not Giuseppe," he said vehemently.

"How long did this go on? You can spare me the details," Stefan added quickly.

Alaric shrugged. "You want the truth?"

"Might as well. We're in the trust tree now," Damon muttered sarcastically.

"Lilly and I were off and on for years. It wasn't a consistent thing til after Abby left the country. I needed Lilly and I guess she needed me, too. I don't know. It was a stupid idea. I know that it was dangerous but I was also in my twenties. I did a lot of reckless shit in my twenties. We all did. Or did you forget about the time that you nearly killed yourself drag racing while drunk, Damon?"

The blue-eyed mobster nodded because Ric was right. Damon had a long list of reckless things he did in his late teens and early twenties.

Stefan said, " _Years_ isn't really descriptive. How many years are we talking here?"

Ric raised an eyebrow at the question. He would have picked up on the underlying meaning if he weren't already intoxicated.

Zach shook his head. "I think our nephew is asking if you could be his father. It happens to be a fairly good question, Ric."

Damon looked down at the struffoli in distaste. He lamented, "I really need that drink now."

The older man grimaced. "No, I'm not his father." He looked at his nephew and said, "I am not your father."

"Are you sure?" Stefan asked. "Wouldn't be the first time you fathered a couple of kids that you didn't claim."

Ric's jaw tightened but he knew it was a fair criticism. "Fuck you. I have always taken care of all my kids whether my name was on their birth certificates or not."

"If you say so, Ric. I need a drink, too," Zach complained. He felt a headache coming on.

Damon laughed brokenly. "Our family is fucking sick. God help us all for bringing children into it."

Stefan nodded in agreement.

Zach shook his head. "We're better to our children than Giuseppe ever was to us. They won't grow up as broken as we were."

"You hope," Damon said.

Stefan finger combed his caramel colored hair. He stood up. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, Zio. I should have asked Mom for more details before I jumped to conclusions."

The older man shook his head and walked over to his nephew. He pulled him into a hug. "I am sorry that this shit has been haunting you for years. I didn't know that you walked in on us. I definitely didn't know about the nightmares. I would have come clean sooner if I had known."

Damon said, "He was always walking into rooms without knocking. He walked in on me often enough. But he is the baby."

Stefan said, "I'm not the baby anymore. That illustrious title goes to Victor. God help him."

Everyone in the room sobered at the thought of such a small child alone with Giuseppe.

Damon shook his head. "That is a problem for tomorrow. Tonight, I am taking my little brother out for steak as big as his head and an incredibly expensive bottle of single malt scotch."

Stefan said, "Damon…"

"No excuses, Stef. You haven't been eating or sleeping. You are going to overdose on red meat and scotch tonight. Then your wife is going to tuck you in for the night or I'll drug you myself."

The younger man rolled his eyes in exasperation. "A steak sounds really heavy right now. I think I'll get lobster instead. Let's go somewhere with a really good seafood menu."

"Spoiled brat. Let's go," Damon said with a smile. He looked at his uncles. "Do the two of you want to come with us?"

Zach nodded and said, "Yeah. We'll meet you there."

"I'll text you the address," Damon replied as he stood up.

Ric waited until their nephews left the room before he sat down. "I am tempted to fly to Paris to kill that conniving bitch. She left her comments vague to push Stefan in the wrong direction on purpose. I can't tell if she was trying to get me whacked or just alienate the kid from the family."

Zach hummed. "Maybe both. I doubt Lilly has forgiven you for choosing the family over her."

He rolled his eyes.

"Were you telling the truth?" he asked.

Alaric said, "You know that I didn't rape her."

"That's not what I'm asking and I think you know that, Ric. You can't pull the wool over my eyes the same way you do with boys. I've known you longer and I have always been impervious to your bullshit."

Ric stared at his younger brother.

"Could you be Stefan's father?"

Silence filled the room for a full minute before he nodded his head. "Maybe."

"Fucking hell, Alaric," Zach exclaimed. He clapped a hand across his eyes in frustration.

"What do you want me to say? I was a teenager. Lilly was offering and I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. It was only a couple of times back then. We didn't start up again until I was in my twenties."

"Did you ever ask Lilly if you might have been his father?"

Ric glared but didn't say anything.

Zach said, "I'll handle Lilly."

"What are you going to do?"

He said, "I need to make sure that Lilly understands how important it is for her to keep her mouth shut. I will bribe, cajole, and threaten her to get my point across. Stefan can never know that your affair stretches back that far or he will start to ask questions. He is Giuseppe's son and that is final. Lilly is up to something and I don't like it."

"She will be surprised by threats from you. You're the nice brother," Ric joked.

"It only means that Lilly should take me seriously. She has caused enough discord in this family for one year. Giuseppe will be in the ground soon and we need to be a united front. I won't have her jerking our nephew around."

"The little bastard was really going to kill me. Maybe he is ready to step up," he said in a thoughtful voice.

"Maybe," he replied. "He's got heart. Let's go have dinner with our nephews."


	37. All Night Long: Part 1

We've broken the 500 mark for reviews! Thank you so much! All of you are so amazing. Thank for you for following the story and investing in my depiction of these characters. A reviewer asked for a flashback or even a stand alone one-shot of Damon and Bonnie's wedding/honeymoon. Let me know if that is something that might interest you guys. If there is enough interest I will try to make it happen.

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Bonnie knew how to be a good wife and mother. Her grandmother had taught her how to be a formidable leader of men. She was simultaneously street smart and book smart. Bonnie had the grades, accolades, and IQ to prove it. She understood when mercy was warranted and when death was the only recourse. Bonnie was also skilled at taking the lives of those that dared betray her family. She was a great cook and a decent baker when she tried. Bonnie was graceful when she danced and could belt out an on-key note if properly motivated. However, she had absolutely no idea how to be a woman.

Bonnie's ascension into womanhood had been stymied by her marriage to Damon. Marrying a man ten years her senior made for a confusing power dynamic in their relationship. As husband and wife, they were intimate at Damon's discretion. He always initiated intercourse and Bonnie always acquiesced. She understood her duty to satisfy her husband and procreate with him. However, Damon also behaved in a paternal way towards her. He lightly discouraged her from activities he believed to be inappropriate for his wife. The reprimand was always with sweet words but she understood the boundaries that Damon was setting in their relationship. He would shower her with gifts after stacking another stone on the wall of her prison. It was as if Damon did not realize that a benevolent prison warden was still a prison warden.

In the beginning, she blamed Giuseppe for isolating her from friends and family. He wanted to make her dependent on him and his poisonous brood. However, the simple truth was that Damon allowed his father to isolate her. She wasn't sure if it was a conscious decision on her husband's part or merely an extension of the neglect that permeated every corner of their marriage. Bonnie once believed that Damon fought Giuseppe to allow her to attend college because he cared for her happiness. Now she wondered if he just wanted something to distract her. In the early days of their marriage, college coursework kept her busy. Bonnie was a perfectionist when it came to school. It wasn't easy achieving that perfection while taking online classes, being mother to a toddler, and being wife to the heir apparent of a powerful criminal syndicate.

Bonnie's decision to demand a separation had changed everything in a matter of days. Part of the girl was happy to shed the masks that she had hidden behind in her marriage. However, she was also afraid of the unknown. Bonnie usually felt more centered when she was in control. Relinquishing control meant being vulnerable. Giuseppe had beaten and nearly raped her because of that vulnerability. Granted something good had come from that painful indignity. Giuseppe was a marked man and Bonnie had finally accepted how little she meant to Damon. Her father-in-law's brutal act had released the shackles binding her to his toxic family. Bonnie was tasting freedom for the very first time and she liked it. However, she was mindful of the storm that threatened to destroy everything for which she had sacrificed.

In these tumultuous times, it was imperative for the young woman to cling to one of the most important lessons taught to her by Sheila. When the world was out of control, it was Bonnie's responsibility to bring it to heel. Tonight's festivities were the first step in doing just that. John Gilbert was celebrating his 42nd birthday at Niklaus Mikaelson's flagship nightclub. The rat-faced bastard loved promiscuous college coeds, expensive liquor, and party drugs. Tyler and Matt had devised a plan that would make John's vices his undoing. Bonnie planned to be on site to witness the traitor's last moments. It wouldn't be as satisfying as when she slit Freddie's throat a few weeks ago but sometimes their business was about expedience and not pleasure.

This would be her first time ever venturing into the Los Angeles club scene. At the ripe old age of 21-years-old she had never stepped foot into a nightclub or a bar. It had nothing to do with her age because her last name would have gotten her through most doors when she was barely old enough to drive. However, Damon had made it abundantly clear that nightclubs and bars were not appropriate places for his wife to visit. Back in March, Caroline had to change her birthday party's venue because of Damon's decree. Bonnie had been mortified and begged Caroline not to change everything for her. Of course, her sister-in-law had refused to have a party without her. The compromise had been a Great Gatsby themed party aboard a 344-foot yacht. Damon had agreed to foot the bill to appease Caroline.

Abby had convinced Bonnie to view tonight as something of a coming out party. She had dozens of industry contacts from her years working as a tour choreographer. A few of those people she even considered friends. The older woman had reached out to a few friends to give Bonnie a full makeover for her big night. She had enlisted the help of a make-up artist, a hairstylist, and a fashion stylist. Bonnie had joked that she imagined this was what it felt like to prepare for the prom. Abby had not found her daughter's wisecrack to be amusing. It was a stark reminder of all the little milestones Bonnie had not been permitted to enjoy.

As a child Bonnie was homeschooled by the best tutors that money could buy just as her mother had been years before. However, Sheila had allowed Abby to attend a local private school when she was old enough to start high school. Sheila decided not to afford Bonnie the same opportunity. She believed that allowing Abby so much freedom was the catalyst that ultimately led her astray. Sheila swore that outside influences had convinced teenage Abby that individualism was to be prized over duty to family. Truthfully, outside influences probably played some small part but learning that Giuseppe killed her father was the tipping point.

"Bonnie…" came a soft voice from beside the girl.

The green-eyed girl blinked as she realized that the make-up artist was trying to capture her attention. Bonnie looked up with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. I must have zoned out for a moment. Was I holding my face the wrong way again?"

Gabi laughed good-naturedly as she unclasped the plastic smock protecting Bonnie's insanely expensive dress. She had been surprised when Abby called to ask for her help with Bonnie. Abby and Gabi had been friends for fifteen years so she had seen the difficulties in their relationship. She was thrilled that they were getting along now.

"Yes, you were but I made magic happen anyway. I have to say that this is some of my best work. Go on…have a look."

Bonnie stood up and walked over to the art deco inspired makeup table situated in the alcove in her mother's bedroom. The lighted mirror was perfect for Bonnie to inspect Gabi's hard work. She studied her appearance in the mirror with a small smirk. Gabi was right that Bonnie's make-up was flawless. She might have to use her services again in the near future. After all, they would be burying her father-in-law soon. Bonnie wanted to look stunning while she feigned grief for a man she despised.

A full face of make-up was out of character for Bonnie. She possessed a natural beauty that didn't require a great deal of embellishment. However, tonight was all about stepping out of her comfort zone. She was finally out from under Damon's thumb and it was time to spread her wings. While the make-up was a shocking departure, her hair was perhaps the biggest change to Bonnie's appearance. She now had goddess locs that fell to just underneath her breasts. The locs were jet black with streaks of midnight blue woven into them. The hairstylist had randomly used gold plated beads with a filigree pattern etched into them to accessorize the style. The goddess locs had also been swept into an intricate bun atop Bonnie's head.

She turned around and said, "This is amazing. Thank you for coming over on such short notice, Gabi. How much do I owe you?"

"It was my pleasure and Abby covered this in full, Bonnie. Besides, I wanted to help," Gabi replied as she packed up her supplies.

Bonnie walked over to the older woman and hugged her. "I appreciate it."

She returned the hug and said, "I hope this means that I will get to see you more often."

She nodded. "Definitely. It would be nice to see you. You always have the best stories about my mom, even if she swears none of them are true."

"That's because Abby doesn't want you to know how much of wild woman she can be on tour. I am going to dig up some pictures and videos for the next time I see you."

Bonnie laughed softly. "I can't wait."

Gabi finished packing up her supplies and then headed for the bedroom door. "Have a good time tonight."

"Oh, I will," Bonnie said with a mischievous grin.

Gabi quietly slipped out of the master bedroom so that the young woman could finish getting ready.

Bonnie walked over to bed where Abby had laid out several jewelry options. Her mother had dug deep into her impressive jewelry collection for pieces that would complement Bonnie's gold Versace dress. Bonnie was grateful for Abby's generosity since she had yet to retrieve her belongings from the Salvatore Manor. She planned to collect her and Sarah's possessions once the interior decorator completed the work on the beach house. Bonnie didn't see the point of moving everything twice. In the meantime, mother and daughter had the essentials and could buy whatever they were lacking.

After much deliberation, Bonnie choose a set of diamond cluster teardrop earrings, a vintage art deco style diamond bracelet, and a thin gold ankle chain that had tiny gold feathers around it. She opted against wearing any of the beautiful necklaces her mother had suggested. Bonnie was content to wear her gold crucifix and Tyler's Saint Christopher's medal. Both would be prominently displayed because the dress' neckline plunged well below Bonnie's breasts.

She stepped into a pair of gold Christian Louboutin pumps and grabbed the matching clutch purse that she had already filled with all the essentials. Afterwards, she moved over to the full-length mirror to evaluate the completed look.

Abby stood in the doorway with a smile on her face. "You look beautiful, baby girl."

"Thank you, Mama. You don't think it is too much?" she asked nervously.

The older woman's hazel eyes lit up as she shook her head. She walked up behind Bonnie and said, "You look like a princess. More importantly, you look happy."

"I am happy," she replied in an almost surprised voice.

Abby's heart ached when she heard the shock in her oldest child's voice. Happiness shouldn't be so rare that it felt unfamiliar. She pushed those dark thoughts from her mind because tonight was about Bonnie moving forward. "Then I am happy, too."

"Thank you for watching Sarah for me tonight, Mama. I just…I need to get out of the house. I need to feel more like Bonnie and less like Mrs. Salvatore," she confessed.

"You don't need to explain yourself to me, honey. You deserve a night as Bonnie Sheila Bennett because that is who you are. A name on a piece of paper and a scrap of metal on your finger could never change who you are in here," she replied and placed a hand over her heart.

Bonnie couldn't describe how good it felt to have Abby supporting her through this. She didn't feel the soul crushing loneliness that had consumed her for years. Part of Bonnie feared that the happiness she felt would be fleeting. Her grandmother had lived a life of suffering and sacrifice for the good of their family. Some days, Bonnie feared that would be her lot in life, too. It had taken years to free herself from the guilt of even considering wanting something more.

She said, "If Sarah wakes up, just call me and I will come home straightaway."

Abby tutted and smoothed a hand over Bonnie's designer dress. She said, "Sarah will be just fine while you go out for the night, baby girl. She is already fast asleep for the night. I doubt that she will wake up before you get back here. And if she does, I know how to get a little one to go back to sleep."

Lucy walked into the room wearing a fuchsia bandage dress that left very little to the imagination and a pair of peep toe stilettos. She had traded her normally long dark curls for a pin straight wig. The black wig had been styled into a side-parted bob.

She asked, "Are you almost ready? Tyler is waiting outside in the car and everyone else is meeting us over there."

The Lockwoods, Donovans, and Benedetto cousins would all be partying together at Klaus' club. They would be celebrating Bonnie's move to take over the smuggling operation while simultaneously eliminating the last viable threat to Damon's rise to boss of the Salvatore organization.

Bonnie nodded. "I am ready. Let's get out of here."

Lucy whistled as she glanced at Bonnie. The younger girl's dress fell just at the tops of her thighs. She hadn't seen her cousin so uncovered since she was a teenager. "You are gonna turn heads tonight, cugine."

She asked, "Really?" She tugged at the material near her stomach. "Can you tell that I'm pregnant?"

"I don't think that anyone will notice. Besides, they will be too busy staring at your boobs."

Bonnie laughed softly.

"I don't know about you but I am ready to go steal somebody's man tonight," Lucy teased.

Abby stifled a chuckle because Bonnie had already done that. Tyler hadn't broken up with Elena yet but the girl was already a fading memory in his mind. Tyler looked pained every time he had to leave Bonnie.

Bonnie asked, "What will Brady have to say about that?"

Lucy shrugged with a devilish grin. "I might dance with some poor bastard just to get Brady's blood pressure up. I like him angry and aggressive."

"I really should have taken Tyler's bet on one or both of you ending up in jail before New Year's Eve. You and Brady as a couple is what I call a natural disaster," Bonnie joked.

She slung an arm around her cousin's shoulders. "You are only saying that because you have never been allowed to let loose. Well, don't you worry because I am going to show you the ropes, cuz."

"Lucy Marie, you make sure that my baby girl gets home safely," Abby said.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "I'll have my eyes on her the whole time."

"I'm serious," Abby replied sternly.

Lucy's expression sobered when she understood her cousin's warning.

The older women shared a loaded look with each other. They both had their concerns about Bonnie spending the evening at Klaus's club. There was a slim chance that he might not be there because he owned several clubs in Southern California. However, Niklaus had shown an uncanny ability to sniff out Bonnie's location.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Both of you stop worrying about me. I am not going to do anything reckless. I just want to have a little fun and I will gut Niklaus like a fish if he tries anything with me."

Lucy grinned. "If it comes to that you won't even have to get your hands dirty. He will not ruin this night for you. We should get going. I am ready to shake my ass for Brady."

Abby huffed out a laugh and followed the two younger women downstairs. "Have a good time and be safe," she called after them.

Tyler was waiting beside the car. He was rocking his hipster chic look complete with leather pants and the unnecessary gray knit hat. He opened the backdoor when Bonnie and Lucy emerged from the house. He whistled lowly at the dress Bonnie was wearing. He was especially fond of the plunging neckline. Tyler was definitely a breast man.

"Damon would lose his shit if he saw you out looking like this."

The younger girl grinned at him. "I'm going to take that as a compliment, Ty."

He winked at Bonnie as she climbed into the SUV. "Oh, it was definitely a compliment," he said in a gravelly voice.

His eyes lingered on her toned thighs a little longer than was appropriate. Maybe he was a breast and a leg man...or perhaps he just wanted Bonnie.

Lucy gave them a knowing look but didn't say anything. She climbed in beside Bonnie and turned to look at her once Tyler closed the door. "When I talked to Brady, he told me that John is already at the club. He has a table in the VIP section and he is making a nuisance of himself as usual. He has the cast of girl's gone wild keeping him company. It shouldn't be hard to dose him in all the chaos."

Tyler climbed into the driver's seat and drove away from Abby's house.

Bonnie was pleased to hear that things were lining up the way she wanted. They had known for a few weeks that John Gilbert needed to go. However, he had eluded them for awhile when he suddenly left the country. She said, "Good. I didn't like the bastard even before I learned that he had betrayed me by siding with Giuseppe over Damon."

Lucy hummed in agreement. "He has always been a manipulative little snake."

"Grams knew that he was a snake but it was a useful trait as long as he was using it for our benefit. How else do you think he wormed his way into becoming Giuseppe's consigliere?" Bonnie replied.

"That shocked the hell out of me. I just knew that Richard was going to get the job. He was the obvious choice because he was Aunt Sheila's most trusted lieutenant," Lucy added.

The Lockwood family had been surprised as well. They had wondered if their position within the organization had been diminished somehow. However, Sheila had assured Richard that it was all according to her plan. She had whispered in Giuseppe's ear and convinced him to place John in that position. Sheila wanted John to skim from the Salvatore organization. It was a risky prospect that could have gotten him killed. She wasn't willing to put Richard in that sort of jeopardy. Sheila had always viewed John to be expendable because of his propensity for duplicity. She had planned to wring as much out of him for as long as she could before discarding his empty husk.

"Grams had her reasons for choosing John. He has performed his duties well. Our coffers can speak to that. However, we can't have him divulging our secrets to anyone to save his own skin. My husband knowing my plan to take over the smuggling operation is one thing. He took that in stride considering his male pride. However, I think his reaction would be just a bit different if he knew how deeply embedded I am in his family's organization."

Lucy chuckled and said, "But the look on his face would be priceless. Of course we'd have to promptly kill him so I see why it wouldn't be worth it."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "We're not killing my husband…unless it becomes necessary."

Just a few months ago, Bonnie wouldn't have considered killing Damon. She loved him and probably always would. However, the husband and wife's circumstances had changed drastically. Bonnie was too close to the finish line to let anyone, even Damon, get in her way. She would have the smuggling operation all sewn up and under her complete control by the summer. In addition, she prayed that Dr. Huerta would have good news next week. A son would guarantee her family's eventual dominance of the Salvatore organization. It wouldn't matter if Damon were alive or dead. One of his uncles could manage the organization until Bonnie's future son was old enough to take his place as don. Her family would wage war against theirs if anyone tried to deprive her son of his rightful inheritance.

"Atta girl," Lucy replied. "If Klaus is at the club tonight…"

"You are worrying for nothing, Luce. Klaus is crazy but he isn't suicidal. He wouldn't approach me while I am surrounded by so many people that he believes would report back to Damon."

Tyler wished that he could share Bonnie's confidence in Klaus' sense of self-perseveration. The man had always been unhinged and the longing in the so-called apology letter made Tyler wary. Klaus' desire for Bonnie was all twisted up in his self-worth. That made rejecting his advances even more dangerous for the young woman. Tyler wished that whacking John could have gone down at literally any other place in the world. Unfortunately, the traitor loved partying at Klaus' club because it was one of the hottest nightclubs in the city.

He said, "I'm surprised that John hasn't already ratted us out to the old man."

Bonnie shook her head. "I'm not. John is probably waiting to see what side wins. He has always been dedicated to his own survival. Not that I blame him…"

Lucy said, "Well, we have everything under control. I just want you to focus on having a good time tonight. You deserve it, Bonnie Bee."

"Thanks, Luce," Bonnie said. She switched her phone to vibrate and then tucked it into her purse. "To thank all of you for all of your hard work I called ahead and talked to the manager. There will be bottle service all night and there is no limit on the bill. Go wild. I will be drinking Pellegrino tonight while you all get drunk but it's good enough."

Tyler grinned as he looked at her through the rearview mirror. "Bottle service? Damn you are a good boss, Bon."

Bonnie laughed as she checked her makeup one last time. She said, "Think of it as our office's Christmas party…you know if we actually worked in an office."

Lucy lips curled up in amusement. She could tell that Bonnie still wasn't okay but she was trying to get there. That was as much as any of them could ask of her. No matter what was going on in her marriage, Bonnie was focused on taking care of their business interests and their people. Lucy believed her aunt would be proud of Bonnie.

It was just after 11 o'clock when they made it to the club. However, the line of club goers was already stretched down the block.

Tyler looked over the seat. "I am going to drop the two of you off out front and then I will find a parking space."

Bonnie opened the door and slid out of the car. She said, "Thanks, Ty. Just give the bouncer your name when you make it back. I made sure everyone was on the list tonight."

He nodded. "I'll be back soon."

Lucy closed the door and then followed her cousin up to the front door. She put herself between Bonnie and the line of paparazzi snapping pictures of the entrance. The Claw was a hotspot for celebrities and the paparazzi were always hanging around. Bonnie was a well known socialite and her rumored connections to organized crime always made her picture a hot commodity for tabloids.

The bouncer recognized Bonnie immediately as she approached the door. He said, "Good evening, Mrs. Salvatore. Go right inside."

She flashed a small smile. "Thank you."

The two women walked into the club and headed toward the second floor. The manager was standing at the top of the staircase. She smiled at them and said, "Welcome to The Claw. Some members of your party have already arrived and are waiting for you. Your section is at the end, Mrs. Salvatore. We made sure it wasn't visible from the main floor."

"Thank you," Bonnie replied.

"Also, Mr. Mikaelson is comping your evening. Is there anything that I can get for you?"

Lucy was careful not to show her annoyance in front of the manager. Her concerns about Klaus making an appearance had just increased by two-fold.

"That is very generous of Niklaus. Send up several bottles of your best champagne, two bottles of Don Julio 1942, three bottles of Pursite vodka, and whatever selection you have for San Pellegrino."

"Right away, Mrs. Salvatore."

Bonnie said, "Thank you."

As they walked toward their section, Bonnie spotted John. Girls young enough to be his daughters surrounded the Salvatore family's consigliere. Despite the relative early hour, John already looked three sheets to the wind. Taking him out tonight would be like shooting fish in a barrel. It was almost unfair…almost. As they made it to their table, Bonnie smiled when she saw that almost everyone was there.

Cesare, Lexi, Cristian, Remy, Veronique, Jules, Mason, Vicki, and Brady were lounging around on the tufted leather sofas as they chatted and enjoyed a few cocktails.

Mason lifted an eyebrow when he saw how Bonnie was dressed. He was concerned about the blowback when Damon saw the photos snapped by the paparazzi. He had witnessed how possessive Damon was when it came to Bonnie. Mason was glad that she was staying at Abby's place for now.

Vicki stood up and pulled Bonnie into a hug as soon as she came into view. "I feel like it has been forever since I've seen you, Bon!"

Bonnie laughed and returned the hug. "It's good to see you too, Vicki. I am glad that you could make it tonight."

"I wasn't about to miss a chance to spend a night away from the kids. I am so happy that Carol agreed to watch them for us tonight." She took a step back and looked at Bonnie's dress. "Damn, look at you."

The girl laughed. "Thanks. You look great too, Vick."

Vicki rolled her eyes and said, "It's spanx but I'll take the compliment."

Bonnie moved on and greeted her cousins.

Lucy walked over to the curved leather couch and sat on Brady's lap. "You got started without me."

He kissed her neck and said, "I've only had a couple of drinks. You can play catch up. Where's my nephew?"

She said, "Ty is parking the car. He should be in soon."

Bonnie tossed her clutch onto the couch and started moving her hips to the music thrumming overhead. "I want to dance. I didn't wear this dress just to hide up here all night."

Vicki grinned. "That's what I'm talking about! I'm coming with you. Mason thinks that he is too tough dance."

Mason chuckled. "I'll dance with you later."

"I'll come, too," Lexi said.

Bonnie's cousin Remy and his wife, Veronique, promptly stood to follow them downstairs to the dance floor, too. They had been waiting for Bonnie to arrive before really kicking off the night's fun.

Jules finished her drink. "Let's do this. I am looking for someone to take home tonight."

Mason wrinkled his nose at his sister. "Stay classy, Jules."

She flipped him the bird. "Fuck you, Mason."

Lucy stood up. "Wait for me, Bonnie!"

Brady grabbed her hand. "You're going, too?"

She said, "I'm supposed to be keeping my little cousin out of trouble. I can't be doing that from up here. You could always come with me."

He smirked and patted Lucy on the butt. "I'll meet you down there in a few."

"You better or I'll be looking for someone to take home tonight, too," Lucy teased.

As she walked away, Brady called out, "Don't make me kick someone's ass tonight. You're going home with me, Luce."

Mason shook his head at the unsettling grin on his younger brother's face.

Cesare sat down beside Mason. He was a muscular man that stood about 6'3". He had dark olive skin and honey colored eyes. His dark brown hair was styled in a traditional Caesar cut.

"Are you going to tell me what happened to my cousin last month?"

Mason considered him closely and then asked, "Have you talked to your cousin?"

"I have but she won't budge. She has always been a stubborn little thing," he said fondly.

Brady snorted and said, "That is putting it mildly."

"My grandfather knows that something has happened. He is trying to allow Bonnie to come to him in her own time," Cesare explained.

"That is a wise course of action," Mason replied. "You know that my hands are tied. I cannot betray Bonnie's confidence."

He nodded. "I know. I am asking you to pass on a message to Damon. My grandfather is old but he has not yet fallen into senility. He has drawn certain conclusions from the strange happenings these last few weeks-including Bonnie suddenly visiting Shadow Hills. Giuseppe harmed our Bonnie and yet he lives. My grandfather will be making the trip here very soon. If Giuseppe is still drawing breath when he arrives…the Salvatores will pay a very steep price. Others have been killed for far less."

"Bonnie will not be pleased that Big John is meddling. She has a plan and it is a good one, Cesare."

"I am sure that she does. No one is questioning Bonnie's leadership, but this is a matter of pride and respect. They walked into our home, broke bread with us, and asked for favors while Giuseppe roamed free with the blood of our kin on his hands. It will not stand. I will speak to Bonnie on the matter tomorrow. I do not want to tarnish her night. You make sure Damon knows that he is on a clock."

"Will do," Mason replied.

Cesare smiled and then stood up. "I believe I will go downstairs. I rather like the music they are playing."

Cristian nodded in Brady and Mason's direction before following his older brother.

Brady asked, "What are you going to do?"

He shook his head. "I'll talk to Bonnie first but he is right. Damon took a risk when he met with Big John without telling the truth. He is going to have to face up to the consequences. If the old man is feeling generous, the consequences will take the form of cash considerations. If not…"

Brady was about to reply but stopped when he heard heels clicking against the floor.

A few moments later, Tyler arrived with Matt and his girlfriend.

Mason was drinking a shot of tequila. "Where the hell have you been? Bonnie said that you were just parking the car."

"I was but Dad called me," the younger man replied. His tight expression spoke to how well the conversation had gone. He asked, "Where are the girls?"

Mason nodded his head down. "Dancing."

Tyler walked over to railing and looked for Bonnie on the dance floor. He spotted her dancing with the other girls and relaxed. He was still uncomfortable with her being in Klaus's club.

Mason smiled at Davina. "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

"I'm good," she said shyly.

Matt walked over to Brady and shook the older man's hand. However, he also slipped him a baggie of tainted drugs discreetly.

Brady asked, "Are we good?"

He nodded and lowered his voice. "It's from the same batch that those college students overdosed on a few months back. The dealer Tyler and I stole those from is very dead. How are you going to get John to take it?"

Brady grinned. "That's where Luce comes in. Speaking of Lucy, I had better go get her. It's never a good idea to leave her alone for too long."

Mason chuckled because he knew Lucy well. He said, "Good luck…"

Tyler said, "I am going to head down there, too."

Mason lifted an eyebrow at his nephew.

"Don't worry. The only person's wife I am going to dance with tonight is yours," Tyler replied with a grin.

He snorted. "Go ahead. She doesn't want you."

"You keep telling yourself that," he said as he walked away.


	38. All Night Long: Part 2

Bonnie felt alive as her body undulated to a song's hypnotic beat. She could almost feel the strong bass line reverberating under her skin. Everyone around her was intoxicated. She could practically taste the alcohol seeping from their pores as they worked up a sweat on the dance floor. However, Bonnie being sober didn't feel like some great hardship. She was riding a wave of adrenaline that came from being in the middle of this sea of humanity. The members of her family/organization stuck close to ensure that no one tried anything. Bonnie's face was well known and she was wearing jewelry worth a couple hundred thousand dollars. However, the only interruptions thus far were a few girls asking to take a selfie with her and several men asking to dance with her.

Bonnie had politely declined all the requests for a dance and had refused about a dozen drinks. She was still a married woman after all. She had zero interest in embarrassing Damon publicly. Moreover, there was only one man that she wanted to dance with tonight. Unfortunately, she couldn't dance with him either because the news would certainly reach Damon's ears. She knew his threat of slitting the throat of any potential suitor had not been idle. Therefore, Bonnie danced by herself and with groups of girls. She had even danced couple of songs with her cousins Cesare, Cristian, and Remy. Not even Damon could object to her dancing with her male cousins.

The girl's sharp green eyes scanned the crowded dance floor until she found Tyler. He was dancing with Vicki a few feet away, but his gaze was firmly on Bonnie. Most people would assume that he was fastidiously performing his duty as her bodyguard. However, Bonnie saw the hunger burning brightly in his dark brown eyes. Her heart began to beat faster in response. Feeling desirable emboldened the young woman as she locked gazes with her best friend. Her dance moves became more seductive because in that moment she was putting on a show for him. Bonnie wanted Tyler to know that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. She knew that he had some lingering doubts even if he refused to voice them.

Tyler was the first man to make her feel desirable. Bonnie knew that she was beautiful. Her self-esteem hadn't been eroded so far that she was unable to acknowledge that she was aesthetically pleasing but that wasn't the same thing as being desired. Damon always made her feel as if she were his most prized possession. He enjoyed 'owning' Bonnie and knowing that no one else would ever have the right to enjoy her body as he had. Her interactions with Niklaus had fallen along the same lines. He had delighted in teaching Bonnie about the pleasure a man could give a woman and vice versa. However, he had defiled the girl for his own sick enjoyment. He had said as much when he cornered her at Elijah's house and asked if Damon knew that she had tasted another man's semen. The seventeen year old girl had feared her future husband learning the truth so much that she performed kegel exercises daily leading up to their wedding. She had been worried that Klaus' fingers had altered her in some discernible way.

Tyler licked his lips while he stared at Bonnie unabashedly. He cocked his head in the direction of the bathrooms.

Bonnie bit into her bottom lip as she considered his silent invitation. She slowly nodded.

Lucy walked up behind Bonnie and asked, "Are you going to eye bang him all night?"

She tore her eyes away from Tyler and glared at her older cousin. "Why don't you say it louder? I don't think the people in the back heard you, Lucy."

The older woman gave a melodic laugh. She was buzzed and in a very good mood tonight. She said, "Calm down. No one is paying attention to us right now. Do you want something to drink? I am thirsty."

Bonnie realized that she had worked up a thirst, too. "Sure."

"Let's go up to the VIP section. I want to say hi to John. I mean it is his birthday. It would be rude not to wish him many more," Lucy replied with a sassy smile.

She had lost track of time but it was obviously nearing 1 o'clock if Lucy was preparing to move forward with their plan. Bonnie nodded and said, "I am going to run to the bathroom. I will meet you upstairs in a few minutes. Order a drink for me, please."

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows in concern. She said, "I'll come with you."

Bonnie shook her head. "Oh, that's not necessary. We haven't seen Klaus all night. He isn't here. I think he is going to keep his word about giving me space until I want to talk. I know him, Luce. He's playing the good guy right now."

Lucy looked doubtful because she didn't trust Klaus at all. However, she would readily admit that Bonnie probably knew him better than she did. "Do you have your blade?"

She discreetly patted her clutch purse. "I never leave home without it now."

The older woman scowled but finally nodded. "You've got ten minutes then I am going to come find you. I made Abby a promise. She's not about to kick my ass because I let something happen to you."

Bonnie huffed out a laugh. "I'll just be a few minutes. I promise."

Lucy glanced over at Vicki and realized that Tyler had disappeared from sight. She suddenly understood why Bonnie wanted a few minutes _**alone.**_ Her little cousin was playing with fire but Lucy wouldn't be a hypocrite and chastise her for it. Bonnie was old enough to make her own decisions. Lucy would be there to protect her if it all went wrong.

She took a deep breath and then began walking across the crowded room to the bar. Earlier, she had ordered a magnum bottle of Dom Perignon to be delivered to John's table at 2 o'clock. She needed to make sure that the delivery would be on time. The brunette temptress had a date with John Gilbert and she really couldn't show up without a birthday gift.

Bonnie's eyes lit up when she rounded the corner to find Tyler hanging out near the fire exit. She felt butterflies in her stomach when he grinned at her. It was the same boyish grin that he'd given her long before Bonnie understood what it meant. She asked, "Going out for a smoke?"

He nodded. "Wanna come with me? I promise to blow the smoke away from you…"

She smiled and said, "Okay." She frowned. "Won't the alarm go off or something?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I scouted the club in advance to get the lay of the land. Matt and I mapped out prearranged exit routes to get you out of here just in case things went sideways tonight. Davina was able to provide us with the inside information. She told us that the emergency exits aren't hooked up to the central system. Members of the staff come out here for smoke breaks all the time."

Bonnie hummed. "You're always looking after me."

He pushed the door open. "It's my job…and my pleasure."

She walked out of the club and into the brisk night air. It was a nice reprieve from the muggy nightclub. She looked around but found the area deserted.

Tyler nudged part of a broken cinder block in the door to keep it from closing. He took out a cigarette and asked, "Are you having fun tonight?"

She nodded. "What about you?"

He paused as he lit the cigarette and then looked into Bonnie's eyes. "I am having fun watching you."

"Yeah?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"I haven't been able to keep my eyes off you all night," he confessed.

"It's been the same way for me. Lucy accused me of eye banging you," she replied with a slight flush to her cheeks.

He flashed a wolfish grin. "I noticed. You really like these pants. Don't you?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes playfully but the answer was a resounding yes. Tyler looked good in leather. She tried to appear nonchalant when she said, "You fill them out well."

"I think that's supposed to be my line," he joked. He turned his head and blew smoke rings into the air.

She shrugged. "I'm new to this whole flirting thing. I'll get the hang of it eventually."

"You don't really need to know how to flirt when you look like this good," Tyler said and then pointedly dropped his gaze to her cleavage.

Bonnie laughed softly. "Asshole…"

He grinned and said, "I compliment you and you insult me. I feel like we are little kids all over again. Should I be expecting a boney knee to the balls soon?"

She laughed and pushed his shoulder. "I only did that once and you have never let me live it down."

"Of course I can't let you live it down. You kneed me in the balls on purpose!" he exclaimed.

Bonnie bit back a laugh and shrugged. "You tried to kiss me without asking permission first."

Tyler licked his lips and asked, "Do I still have to ask permission?"

Her eyes were drawn to his lips. She smirked and said, "No."

"Good to know because I have to pay you back for what you've been doing to me all night."

"What exactly have I been doing?" Bonnie asked innocently.

Tyler glanced around and then stepped closer to her. He took Bonnie's hand and rested it against his crotch.

She gasped when she felt Tyler's erection. Bonnie's eyes shot up to his as she slowly removed her hand. "Pervert," she whispered playfully.

"You like it," he replied with a grin.

"I do." Bonnie grabbed Tyler's arm so that she could look at his watch. "Shit. I should head inside. Lucy is waiting for me upstairs."

He smirked. "It is about that time. I'll see you later."

Bonnie quietly slipped back into the building and made her way to the VIP section. When she approached John's booth all of the college coeds had been dismissed because Lucy was practically sitting on the man's lap. Bonnie adored her cousin for the things she was willing to do for their family.

John was whispering something filthy in Lucy's ear with his hand firmly on her thigh.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," she said.

The blond mobster's head snapped up when he heard another voice. He slowly removed his hand from Lucy's thigh when he realized it was Bonnie. "No, you're not interrupting anything. You are welcome to have a seat."

Bonnie smiled at him as she sat at the other end of the couch. "Thanks, John. I just wanted to drop in to say Happy Birthday."

"Oh. Thank you. I didn't realize that you were going to be here tonight."

Lucy motioned to a glass on the table. "That's for you."

She nodded a little and picked up the glass of San Pellegrino. "This isn't normally my thing but some of my cousins are in town and they insisted that I join them."

"Does Damon know that you are here?" he asked. John picked up his glass of champagne as he eyed Bonnie suspiciously.

Bonnie shook her head and feigned nervousness as she took a sip of her drink. "I hope that we can keep this between the two of us. You know how overprotective he can be. I just wanted to have a little fun."

John didn't buy Bonnie's timid act for a moment. He wasn't as gullible as the Salvatore men were. He had learned the ropes of the business at Sheila's feet. The woman had tolerated Giuseppe's abuse for decades in order to undermine him. Deceit and treachery were practically in Bonnie's blood. Moreover, he had begun to believe that she suspected him of switching sides. It was no coincidence that two of his top guys had disappeared in recent weeks. Another died in a freak car accident and of course Atticus Shane had been killed during a prison fight. John just wasn't sure if Damon or Bonnie were the responsible party. There was also the possibility that Giuseppe had turned on him. The old man had become enraged when he realized that John was only out for himself.

"Your secret is safe with me, Bonnie. I don't know how Damon ever believed that he could keep you locked away in that fortress forever. Even I know that is not a possibility with my own girls."

The green-eyed girl's mask remained firmly in place. However, she felt a small pang of guilt at the mention of John's daughters. Most of his business associates merely tolerated him. His superior attitude turned off most people but his girls loved him. They would be orphans after tonight. April was in her second year at Columbia. While Violet was in her last year at an English boarding school.

She said, "Thanks, John."

"Don't mention it."

Lucy took out the baggie of tainted drugs from her purse. She glanced at Bonnie and said, "Avert your eyes. Your grams would skin me alive if she knew I was doing drugs in front of you."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "It's not like it is the first time I've seen you use drugs, Luce."

John asked, "You don't mind?"

"I've been around drugs and alcohol all evening and I have not partaken in any of it," she said and rested a hand on her stomach for emphasis.

He blinked and then nodded. "Congratulations. Damon told me that the two of you are expecting."

"Twins," Bonnie added.

"Double the blessing then," John said.

Lucy dropped three tablets in the palm of John's hand. "This is going to blow your mind. My guy says that there is more ephedrine in these than normal."

The mobster quickly popped the three tablets in his mouth. His earlier high was starting to wear off and John didn't plan to sober up until Monday or Tuesday. He washed down the tablets with a gulp of champagne.

Bonnie watched her cousin pull a sleight of hand trick that would make some illusionists jealous as she pretended to take the tainted drugs with him.

Lucy toyed with the hair at the base of John's skull. "John was just trying to convince me to join him in Vegas for a few days. I am thinking of taking him up on that offer."

John looked smug at that.

"What about the funerals?" Bonnie asked in an almost scandalized voice.

John had the good sense to look somber despite his disinterest in the funerals. He said, "We would be back before Marco's funeral on Tuesday."

"Oh," she replied.

Lucy glanced at her younger cousin and then looked back at John. "Maybe swanning off for the weekend isn't really a good idea."

Bonnie quickly shook her head. "No, don't let me rain on your parade. If we all waited on the perfect time to enjoy life…we might never enjoy it at all. By those standards, I shouldn't even be here tonight. I should be at home sitting shiva."

John kissed Lucy's neck. "She has a point. Life is for the living, after all."

"Look…I've interrupted enough. I should let you two get back to enjoying your night," Bonnie said as she stood up.

Lucy said, "I'll come find you in a bit to say goodbye. Okay?"

"Sure. I hope you enjoy your birthday celebration, John. You deserve it," Bonnie said with a smile.

"Thank you…"

Her smile shifted into something more sinister as she walked down the stairs. John would be dead in less than an hour. When she met with her people in the morning, she would use his death to remind them of the penalty for betraying her family. Since Thanksgiving, she had eliminated four people that were traitors. It was drastic but necessary. She would kill them all if they didn't fall into line.

Cesare snagged Bonnie's arm as she walked onto the dance floor. "What about another dance with me?"

She giggled softly and said, "My feet are killing me but sure."

The olive skin mobster looked down at Bonnie's feet and laughed. "That's what you get for wearing those…instruments of torture."

She rolled her eyes. "They aren't that bad."

He chuckled. "I have given Lexi enough foot rubs to know better."

"They make my butt look amazing," she confessed.

Cesare barked out a laugh as he pulled her closer. "I will take your word for it, coniglietto."

She pushed his shoulder. "I am glad that you are here."

"And I will continue being here for at least the next year. I am proud of you."

"You don't think that I am being a horrible bitch?" she asked seriously.

Cesare laughed and gently lifted up her chin. "You are being a Benedetto which means you are probably being a horrible bitch but it is in your nature."

Bonnie's green eyes lit up as she laughed with him.

He twirled his younger cousin around the floor playfully before pulling her back to him.

The pair danced together for several songs before Lucy walked up to them.

Cesare grinned. "Ah! There is my other beautiful cousin that doesn't come home to visit me nearly enough. Nonno thinks he is going to have to come stateside if he wants to see you both before he dies."

Lucy's eyes went wide. The girls simultaneously said, "Bite your tongue!"

He chuckled at their reaction. He looked up when _Hasta el Amanecer_ began playing. Cesare grabbed Lucy and said, "Come on! It's your turn to dance with me."

She laughed and said, "I love this song."

Bonnie grinned as she watched her cousins dancing together. Everything about her night had gone to plan thus far. She probably should have known that the bottom would fall out eventually. However, on the other side of the club a storm was brewing unbeknownst to her.

Damon walked into club with Enzo and Stefan. Earlier in the night, he had spent an unseemly amount of money at his favorite strip club. He had been looking to blow off a little steam. He didn't understand how Alaric had managed the two family situation for so long without cracking under the pressure. Damon had only been doing this for a few days but he was already exhausted. Spending time with his daughters was simple enough. Nadia was starting to warm up to him and he had spent the better part of the day with Sarah. He planned to wait until after Christmas to introduce his daughters to each other. However, dealing with Bonnie and Katherine was stressful. They both had expectations of him and he was certainly disappointing both of them. Moreover, it was difficult for him to accept how happy Bonnie and Sarah seemed to be without his presence.

Damon usually refused to spend his money at Klaus' establishments. However, tonight was John's birthday and he would look like an asshole if he didn't make an appearance. The man was still the organization's consigliere. He would remain in that position until Giuseppe was dead. They were closer than ever to finding his father's location. Giuseppe had reached out to Zach earlier in the evening. He was interested in brokering a truce with little Victor as a bargaining chip. He rightly assumed that no one was interested in him maintaining custody of the little boy. They would work out a meeting place in the coming days. Giuseppe claimed that he was in Nova Scotia for the time being. Damon didn't believe that but they didn't have any leads on his actual location.

The group found a table and Enzo flagged down a waitress. He flirted with the girl as he opened a tab in Damon's name. He knew that his best friend was looking to get drunk enough to black out tonight. Damon needed a way to forget his problems for a handful of hours. Enzo intended to help him out with that. He pulled a vial of white powder out of his pocket once he finished placing their drink orders. He asked, "Do you want some?"

Damon shook his head. He had already indulged at the strip club against his better judgment. Stefan had given his older brother one of his patented disappointed looks but didn't lecture him. Damon was certain that was only because Stefan had lost his shit the previous day and tried to kill their uncle. Damon probably had a few days before Stefan's moral superiority returned.

"Are you sure, mate?" Enzo asked.

He said, "No. I need a clear head. I am going over to Abby's house in the morning to see Bonnie before she goes to Mass. She doesn't like when I use coke. It is like she has a sixth sense about these things."

Stefan smiled. He was glad that Damon hadn't accepted Enzo's offer. Sometimes he questioned his brother's choice of friends. Everyone knew how hard it had been for Damon to kick his coke habit. Stefan didn't think a true friend would tempt him with going down that road again. However, he knew better than to criticize Enzo. The older men's friendship had been forged in fire and wouldn't be severed easily. When Damon first married Bonnie, Stefan had hoped that Enzo's obvious dislike of her would have been the final nail in the coffin. Eventually, Enzo learned to keep his opinions about their marriage to himself to avoid Damon's temper.

Enzo nodded in understanding and tucked the vial away for later. He didn't envy Damon's situation but he was glad that Katherine and Nadia were safe now. His friend was many things but he wasn't a deadbeat father. Damon would make sure that Nadia, and by extension Katherine, didn't want for anything. He was still shocked that Bonnie had pulled that move on Damon. The girl wasn't quite as clueless as he had believed her to be.

He asked, "Are you going to see Andie tonight?"

"No, I called things off with her a few days ago. I can't tell if Bonnie was serious about divorcing me but I don't want to take those kinds of chances," he confessed.

The waitress returned with their drinks.

Damon handed her a wad of cash and said, "Keep em coming, sweetheart."

She giggled. "Of course, Mr. Salvatore."

Enzo asked, "How the hell would she even know about Andie?"

Damon gulped down three shots back to back. He countered, "How the hell did she know that Katherine was in Tenerife?"

"Do you think that she is having you followed by a private investigator?" Enzo asked.

He shook his head. "No, she wouldn't do that because of what a private investigator might uncover. Bonnie doesn't want me in prison."

Enzo asked, "Someone in the organization then? Maybe the Lockwood kid is running his mouth to her. You said that they were friends."

Stefan tensed at the mention of Tyler. He wanted to keep his brother off Tyler's scent for as long as possible. Damon said that he wouldn't do something reckless like beat Tyler to death. However, he knew his older brother better than Damon thought. He wouldn't take finding out about Bonnie and Tyler with any sort of grace. Stefan didn't know exactly what was happening between the two but he knew that it was something. He hadn't asked his friend or sister-in-law any questions because it was better that he didn't know the details. Stefan didn't enjoy lying to his brother.

"I don't think so. He only just started being her bodyguard a few weeks ago. Besides, some of the things that Bonnie knows he wouldn't have reason to know," Damon replied.

Enzo nodded in agreement because Tyler wasn't exactly in Damon's inner circle. Katherine being his mistress was common knowledge. However, only a few people knew about Andie because of her career. She didn't want to be dubbed as a homewrecker because it would make people discredit her work as an anchor. She had worked her way up from the weather girl to sitting at the news desk.

Stefan offered, "Maybe it is someone that works at the hotel. It would be a quick payday to pass information to Bonnie on your comings and goings. You are a creature of habit, brother."

Damon nodded as he tossed back a couple more shots. Stefan had a point because Damon frequented two hotels the Claiborne and the Rischard. He had started using the Claiborne once his affair with Katherine grew more serious. Damon hadn't wanted her to find out about the other women he was seeing behind her back. He tried to be a courteous adulterer when possible.

"Do you want me to look into it?" Enzo asked.

He shook his head. "It's all water under the bridge. Bonnie knows the truth…I can't put the genie back in the lamp now. I do want you to keep an eye on Cesare."

Enzo nodded. "You got it."

Stefan nearly choked on his drink when Bonnie came into view. He nudged his brother. "Did you know that Bonnie was going to be here tonight?"

Damon was putting back yet another drink but stopped when his brother mentioned Bonnie. He turned to look at Stefan and asked, "What are you talking about? Bonnie and Sarah are staying at Abby's house."

The younger Salvatore pointed to Bonnie dancing with Lucy and Vicki. She seemed lost in the music as she swayed her hips to the beat. "Maybe that's the plan after she leaves the club."

Damon felt his blood pressure skyrocket as his gaze fell onto his wife. He drank in her appearance and clenched his fists in anger. He couldn't believe she was dressed like that. Damon stood up and marched across the room. He shoved people out of his way as he made his way to Bonnie.

Bonnie and Lucy were practically screaming the lyrics to the song _Black Beatles_ , " _She's a good teaser. And we blowing reefer. Ya body like a work of art, baby. Don't fuck with me I'll break ya heart, baby."_

Damon barked, "Bonnie!"

Vicki and Davina looked nervous at Damon's sudden appearance. They quickly took a step away from the livid mob boss.

The green-eyed beauty glared at her husband. She mimicked his tone of voice, "Damon! What do you want?"

He got in her face. Bonnie's attitude was pushing his buttons and Damon was already close enough to the edge. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Lucy frowned. "Back the fuck off my cousin, Damon."

He glared. "Mind your fucking business, Lucy. She's my wife."

Stefan walked up because he saw Cesare, Cristian, and Remy making their way through the crowd. He had no doubt that the three Benedetto cousins would jump Damon in a heartbeat. "Calm down, brother. You don't want to make a scene here."

Bonnie held her hand up because she could tell that Lucy was ready to pop off on Damon. She said, "First, don't talk to my cousin like that. Second, I am a grown ass woman, Damon. I can go clubbing if I want. Don't you dare walk in here trying to check me about my life when we aren't even together because of what you have been doing in yours. I am not one of your employees, your little brother, or one of your whores. You don't run me, Damon Salvatore. And don't you ever fucking forget it."

Lucy grinned like a Cheshire cat. "That's right, Bon. Let this motherfucker know that you ain't having his double standard chauvinistic bullshit!"

The three male Benedetto cousins came to a stop behind Lucy and Bonnie. Stefan's assumption had been right because all three men looked as if they were ready to throw Damon a beating that he wouldn't soon forget.

Enzo moved closer to Damon to let them know that he wasn't alone. If they started something with his best friend/boss, it wouldn't be three on one.

Damon was oblivious to the danger because all he could see was the plunging neckline and incredibly short hemline of Bonnie's dress. He practically growled, "Where is my daughter while you are out here shaking your ass in a dress that barely covers you? You look like a fucking slut."

Cesare roared, "What the fuck did you just call my cousin?"

Cristian struggled to hold his older brother back.

Damon said, "I'm not talking to you, Cesare! I am trying to figure out why my wife thinks it is appropriate to leave the house looking like a whore."

Stefan hurriedly took out his phone and texted his uncles. Damon was either going to get himself killed or wreck their relationship with the Benedetto family.

Her eyes darkened dangerously and she cut off her enraged family's complaints. " **Our** daughter is asleep at my mother's house. I put her to bed and made sure that she was asleep before I left. Don't make it seem like I am not a good parent. I think we both know out of the two of us that I am the one that spends more time with Sarah. Speaking of playing daddy…I thought you were supposed to be spending time with Katherine and Nadia this weekend." She craned her neck around as if looking for someone. "Or maybe you're here tonight with Rayna. No, I think the new one is named Natalie. Wait! No, I remember now. Her name is Andie Starr…the weather girl."

"He's fucking the weather girl, too? Shit…I'm surprised he hasn't given you some sort of STD," Lucy quipped with disdain.

Bonnie laughed coldly. "I get tested every six months just to be on the safe side. The girls I named are just this year's whores. I don't have time to name all the chicks he has fucked. Damon is quite the little slut."

Damon's anger cooled to a simmer when he realized that Bonnie had named his last three mistresses in order of appearance. However, the dangerous look in her eyes concerned him the most. He took her hand. "Let's get out of here... away from our family and friends. We need to talk, bunny."

Bonnie leaned closer and whispered into his ear. "I'm not going anywhere with you, Damon. Walk away from me or I will make a big fucking scene that will land us on TMZ. I am sure the shareholders will love that or maybe I will just let my cousins whoop your ass."

He pulled back and stared into her poisonous green eyes. It was probably the closest he had ever come to seeing hatred in Bonnie's eyes. "You know that I didn't mean it when I called you a slut. I am drunk. I was drunk even before I got here."

"You think that somehow excuses you treating me like this? I will not be your verbal punching bag. We are done, Damon. I want a divorce," Bonnie said before she could even think it through.

Lucy blinked in shock because she hadn't been expecting that.

Damon moved closer to Bonnie. "You don't mean that…"

Suddenly, screams could be heard from the second floor. " _ **Oh my God! I think he's dead. Someone call an ambulance"**_

The music stopped as people started paying attention to the screams.

Bonnie tried valiantly to keep the smirk off her face. She couldn't have planned John's death more perfectly if she tried. Bonnie made her eyes widen in horror as she looked toward the VIP section. "What's happening?" she asked innocently.

Damon looked at his younger brother and shoved the car keys into his hands. "Get Bonnie out of here. Now!"

Stefan grabbed Bonnie's arm and said, "Come on, Bunny."

Bonnie let her concerned brother-in-law escort her from the club. He led her down the block where their car was parked.

Lucy was right behind them with her phone in hand. She said, "I am texting Tyler to let him know where to find us."

Stefan unlocked the car and asked, "Are you okay, Bonnie?"

She sat in the car but didn't bother closing the door. She wasn't leaving with Stefan or Damon.

Lucy asked, "Because your brother is a hypocritical asshole? You know he almost got his ass beat tonight. Hell, I can't say that it won't still happen now that Bonnie isn't there to stop our cousins."

His eyebrows furrowed in concern. "I'm sorry for how Damon acted. He was telling you the truth when he said that we were drinking before we came here. He didn't mean the things he was saying, bunny."

Bonnie laughed sadly. "They say that liquor is like a truth serum, Stef. I think Damon was being honest. He can screw half of Los Angeles but I'm a slut because I decided to go out to a club. He really has no respect for me."

Lucy sighed, "Fucking Salvatores." She paused and amended, "Not you, Stefan. You are a good one. You behave with common sense and compassion."

He winced but nodded in understanding. "He loves you."

"Damon doesn't need you defending him and his bullshit, Stefan," Lucy said.

Stefan took off his jacket and handed it to Bonnie since it had turned cold. He sighed, "Yes, he does. I know my brother probably better than anyone else does. He loves you, Bonnie. He is a screw up but he loves you and he would be lost without you. I get that you need to assert yourself in your relationship…but don't divorce him. I don't know how Damon would cope if he lost you for good."

She sighed softly and draped the jacket over her exposed legs. "I don't know if I can keep doing this, Stefan. Being married to Damon eats at my soul. If I stay with him, I am going to lose myself."

Lucy huffed. "He ain't worth all that."

Stefan looked down at his phone. "This is Damon. I need to take the call. I'll be right back…"

Lucy looked at her cousin once they were alone. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

She lifted an eyebrow at Bonnie. She asked, "Seriously?"

Bonnie nodded.

Stefan returned a few minutes later. "Someone died in the club…it was John Gilbert. We don't know what happened to him."

"Oh my God. I saw him earlier in the VIP section," Bonnie exclaimed.

"Damon wants me to pick up Sarah and take the two of you home until we know what caused John's death," Stefan said.

Bonnie shook her head. "That's not necessary Tyler will be here in a minute. He should be getting the car now. He will take me back to my mom's house. Besides, if Damon is as drunk as you say that he is, he will need your help."

Stefan had been thinking the same thing but he didn't really want to argue with his older brother. He knew that this situation with Bonnie had Damon in a bad headspace. Damon could be reckless when his heart was on the line.

On cue, Tyler pulled up beside the car. He climbed out and opened the door for Bonnie.

She returned Stefan's jacket before climbing into the SUV.

Stefan said, "Make sure that you get her to Abby's place safely. Damon is already on edge tonight, Ty."

He nodded. "I'll make sure she gets there safely, Stef."

The two men hugged briefly and then Stefan jogged back to the club.

Bonnie looked at Lucy. "You need to stay behind. I need you to be my eyes and ears."

"Yeah. Brady and Mason are probably going to get drafted by Damon to figure out what happened to John. I'll call you when I know anything." Lucy squeezed her hand.

Tyler closed Bonnie's door and then walked around to his side of the car. He climbed inside and sped out of the parking lot. "Where are we headed, Bon?"

Bonnie thought about it for a moment. Going back to Abby's house wasn't ideal. Her head was all messed up and she needed time to collect herself. "The beach house for now…"

He nodded. Tyler gripped the steering wheel tight. He had seen Damon yelling at Bonnie in the club. He had to resist the urge to shoot the bastard right there. She didn't deserve to be treated like that by him. However, he knew better than to ask Bonnie if she was okay. He knew that she wasn't but she would let him know if she wanted to talk about it. Instead, he asked, "Can you believe the fucking luck of Damon being there when John kicks it?"

Bonnie huffed out a laugh. She knew what Tyler was doing and she appreciated it. "That is the very definition of serendipitous. I really owe you and Matt for coming through with the drugs."

Tyler said, "You know that isn't necessary."

"But it is. I wouldn't be able to pull any of this off without all of you helping me. You are the only ones that I know have my back."

"We'll always have your back, Bon. You are family," he swore.


	39. All Night Long: Part 3

Tyler let out an impressed whistle after turning on the lights in the living room. He had not visited the beach house since Bonnie hired an interior decorator to update the space. The only inkling he had about the changes to the home's décor came from the e-mails that Felicity sent. Bonnie had required final approval on all furnishings, accessories, paint colors, and fixtures. In the beginning, he didn't understand her desire to update the house. Sheila's design sense had been rich and very reminiscent of the old world. The house had always reminded him of the Loiacono family home in Milazzo. The centuries old home evoked the color scheme reminiscent of the Tyrrhenian Sea that his family once used as their fishing ground. However, the new décor appeared younger, more feminine, and very comfortable. In short, the house looked more like Bonnie.

Her plump lips split into a broad smile as she walked over to the soft gray sectional. She had chosen the L-shaped sofa because of the stylish appearance and large size. Bonnie had instructed Felicity to ensure that living room was set up for entertaining large groups. Now that she was away from the Salvatore family, Bonnie had no interest in continuing her life as a recluse. She had people that loved her and she wouldn't be isolated from them any longer.

She sat down and dropped her purse onto the oversized tufted ottoman that served as a coffee table. She asked, "Do you like it?"

He nodded and took off his leather jacket. "It looks beautiful, Bon. You definitely have better taste than I do."

She took off her pumps and rubbed her aching feet. Bonnie loved her outfit but dancing in those shoes hadn't been her smartest decision. However, her grandmother had always taught her that through pain came beauty. "Thanks. Your place isn't half bad. I kind of like it. The artwork is especially nice."

Tyler sat down on the couch and patted his lap expectantly. He chuckled, "My mom decorated the townhouse for me. The only thing I had any input on was the size, number, and placement of my televisions. I think the one in the bathroom is my favorite."

Bonnie giggled as she put her feet onto Tyler's lap. She sighed happily when he started massaging her throbbing feet and swollen ankles. "You men and your big TVs are so predictable."

"I don't know…that TV looks pretty big to me," he said and nodded toward the 55-inch television mounted on the wall.

She rolled her eyes playfully and said, "Sarah helped me pick out the television. I guess she wants to watch her cartoons on the biggest screen possible."

Tyler lifted an eyebrow. He asked, "And it has nothing to do with you having all of the premium sports channels? You wouldn't want to miss any of those basketball, hockey, or football games."

Bonnie just laughed and poked the inside of his thigh with her foot. This was one of the many reasons that she loved Tyler so much. She could just be herself with him. "Okay it was a little bit for me but mostly for Sarah."

"Sure it was," he murmured playfully. "One of these days I am going to get you to watch a baseball game with me."

"Not a chance. The games are long and boring. The only interesting part of baseball is the occasional bench clearing brawl but I think that is just the hockey fan in me."

"Boring?" he asked. "You like to watch curling!"

Bonnie huffed out a laugh. She said, "Curling is a freaking art form. I've always wanted to learn how to play."

He gave her sad puppy dog eyes. "You won't watch even one baseball game with me?"

"I might be willing to watch the home run derby or like the last game of the World Series." She wiggled her toes. "That feels amazing. Thank you."

He shook his head in mock exasperation over her disdain for baseball. "You are welcome."

"That foot fetish of yours comes in handy every once in awhile," she joked.

Tyler tickled her feet and laughed. "You think that you are so funny."

Bonnie squirmed as she laughed. "Stop it. You know that I hate being tickled."

"Then you should be nicer to me," he replied.

She put her hands up in surrender. "Okay! I won't make anymore jokes about your foot fetish."

Tyler playfully pinched the side of her foot before focusing his energy on her swollen ankles.

Bonnie closed her eyes and allowed her body to relax under his skillful touch.

The brunette mobster continued the massage until he saw all the tension practically bleed out of Bonnie's body. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. He asked, "Are you hungry?"

She thought about it for a moment and said, "I am now that you mentioned it. Do you think anything in the refrigerator is any good? We haven't been here in a couple of weeks."

"I am sure that I can find something. You relax. I will go cook something for us to eat. I'm hungry, too."

She laughed. "We had a huge dinner before going out tonight. I'm pregnant. What's your excuse for being hungry?"

He stood up and then kissed the top of her head. "Uh, I was tearing it up on the dance floor all night. Did you not see me?"

Bonnie giggled and tossed a throw pillow at Tyler's back as he walked away. She picked up her phone to check for messages. As expected, she had received a few messages from Lucy. She learned that John was dead by the time the paramedics arrived. They didn't even bother transporting him to the local hospital. Instead, the police called for the coroner to retrieve the body.

Despite the nasty encounter with Damon, the young woman was quite pleased with how everything had played out. John's death meant the last known traitor to her family was dead. Furthermore, there were no more viable candidates to challenge Damon's ascension to boss of the Salvatore family. The only bit of unfinished business was Giuseppe skulking about in the shadows. Bonnie was willing to give her husband a few more weeks to handle the issue. If he couldn't come through, then her family would handle it. Part of Bonnie wondered if she shouldn't have gone to her uncle from the beginning.

She was about to put her phone down when it began to vibrate. Bonnie frowned when she saw that the call was coming from a private number. She had a feeling that it was Niklaus. Bonnie considered not answering the phone, but she knew that he would call until he got an answer. "Hello?"

" _Hello, love. I know that I am breaking my promise but this is an emergency."_

Bonnie paused and then asked, "Is everything okay, Nik?"

" _I am sorry. That was poorly worded. I was calling to check on you. Are you okay?" he asked._

She hated the cognitive dissonance that came from dealing with Niklaus. He had behaved monstrously with Bonnie a few weeks ago. However, he had the capacity to be gentle, loving, and considerate. The worst part was that both versions of Niklaus' personality were genuine. Bonnie supposed that the same was true for her. She was a devout Catholic, a loving mother, and a philanthropist. However, just a couple hours ago she had watched her cousin seduce a family friend into taking a fatal overdose. Bonnie would have gladly watched John's last moments were it possible. She had wanted him to know that she was responsible for ending his life. Unfortunately, Bonnie being discovered with John's dead body would have brought on scrutiny from the police and her husband.

"Yes, I am fine. Why do you ask?"

" _I am glad to hear it. I was worried you might have witnessed that ugliness at my club tonight. I know your family has been acquainted with John Gilbert through the Salvatores for a long time," he replied._

"Well, I was there at the time but I was on the dance floor. I didn't see what happened to John. I am afraid that I didn't know him very well but I do know his daughters. They are both a few years younger than I am," she explained.

Bonnie idly wondered if her voice was somber enough as she played Bingo Blitz on her phone. She was addicted to the game.

 _He said, "It is better that you didn't see what happened. It was a nasty business. The police seem to think that it might have been some sort of drug overdose. They are questioning my business partner Marcel since he was actually on the premises tonight."_

"Oh, that is awful. His daughters, April and Violet, are orphans now. Their mother died after a long battle with cancer just a few years ago."

" _I am sorry, love. I am sure that hits close to home for you."_

She said, "It does. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of my grandmother."

" _Did you enjoy yourself otherwise?"_

"Yes, I did. Tonight was my first time at a club. I had such a lovely time with my family. It was very generous of you to comp our evening. Thank you, Nik."

 _He replied, "You are welcome, love. However, we both know there is nothing that I could ever deny you. I was supposed to be there tonight but I went to Full Moon in order to honor our agreement."_

Bonnie smiled as the wheels in her head began turning. She said, "Well, I appreciate you being so thoughtful. I am still trying to work through everything that happened between us. I have been thinking about seeing someone to talk about everything. Keeping this secret for so long has been difficult. I wouldn't use your name even though those sessions are supposed to be confidential."

" _I am sorry, Bonnie," he whispered in a thick voice._

"You don't need to apologize again, Niklaus. You said more than enough in the letter that you gave me. It was beautiful and heartfelt. I could tell that you meant every word."

" _I did," he said. "I know that I have no right ask anything of you. Do you think that you will ever be able to forgive me?"_

"I don't know. Maybe that will be possible with time and help from a professional. I know you never meant to hurt me," she replied in a soft voice.

 _He said, "If there is ever anything that I can do...please let me know."_

Bonnie smirked. However, her voice remained soft. "I may just take you up on that offer at some point. It's late and I really should be getting to bed. My little girl will be wide awake in a few hours. She can be a bit of an early riser."

" _Rest well, love. I am afraid I will be up long after the sun rises. The police become very accusatory when someone dies from a drug overdose in your club."_

"Oh. I hope it doesn't turn out to be too much trouble for you, Nik. Good night."

" _It isn't anything that I can't handle, love. Good night."_

Bonnie ended the call as she considered her options. She had been onboard with her mother's plan to send Niklaus to prison. However, she wondered if Niklaus could be more useful to her on the outside. A Mikaelson in her back pocket was invaluable. Klaus was worth even more because of the position of power that Elijah had bestowed on him. Sheila had taught her granddaughter the carrot/stick method when cultivating assets. She could use his guilt and obsession as the carrot. The evidence in the trafficking case would be the stick if he stepped out of line.

The only problem with Bonnie's idea was convincing Tyler, Lucy, and her parents to go along with it. They were merely settling for prison because she forbade them from killing him. Bonnie would have to prove that she was capable of controlling him. Niklaus was always going to be a rabid dog but now she wanted him to be _**her**_ rabid dog.

The green-eyed girl giggled softly as she turned on the television. She flicked through the stations until she found an old episode of _Columbo_. Bonnie had fallen in love with the show after he grandmother bought the entire series on DVD. The two had watched all the episodes together when Sheila became too sick to get out of bed. While they binge watched the seasons, she had learned that her grandmother had a thing for Peter Falk.

Bonnie found herself engrossed in the episode for nearly 30 minutes before the aroma wafting from the kitchen caught her attention. She went from being merely peckish to practically starving. She paused the episode and then went into the kitchen to see what Tyler was cooking. "I thought you were going to make a sandwich or something."

Tyler chuckled as he flipped the Italian sausage cooking in a frying pan. There was also a pot of marinara sauce bubbling away on the stovetop. He said, "All of the quick stuff in the fridge has reached its best by date. I'll clear it out before we leave here. Anyway, there were a couple packs of Italian sausage in the freezer. I found a bag of frozen peppers and onions up there, too."

"You didn't need to go to all this trouble, Ty. I could have waited to eat until we made it back to my mom's house."

"If you're hungry then I am going to feed you," he said.

She smiled and asked, "Do you need any help?"

"You can choose what kind of pasta you want to go with this," he suggested as he stirred the sauce.

Bonnie walked over to the cabinet and looked at what they had on hand. She just wanted something that was at least a pound's worth. She was hungry and Tyler always ate as if he had a tapeworm. Bonnie grabbed a glass canister containing rigatoni. "Good enough?"

He glanced and nodded. "That'll work."

She placed the container near the stove and then dug out another pot. "If only your mother could see you cooking right now. She would have a heart attack."

He laughed. "Nah. My ma likes to pretend that I don't know how to cook so that she can still treat me like the baby of the family. I don't mind. She literally stole a lamb chop from my old man's hands a few days ago because I hadn't eaten yet."

Bonnie huffed out a laugh as she filled the pot with water. She placed it on the stove and asked, "Are you serious?"

"Oh, yeah. He looked like he wanted to kick my ass but I ate those lamb chops right in front of him. They were good, too," he replied with a grin.

"Brat…."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Who asked her mommy to bake a German chocolate cake for her yesterday?"

Bonnie's expression turned sheepish. "That's different. The babies and I were having a craving."

He kissed her forehead. "Uh huh…"

"Hush. You ate part of that cake, too," she muttered. "Do we have any cheese?"

Tyler nodded. "Yeah. There is a hunk of parmigiano in the fridge. It should still be good."

Bonnie scoured the fridge until she found it. She opened the package and inspected the cheese. "It is still good. You know how much I love cheese."

"Oh, I know. I think Abby's mac & cheese clogged up one of my arteries. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious. I just think she shaved like three years off my life expectancy."

Bonnie chuckled as she grabbed the cheese grater and a plate. Then she washed her hands in the sink. "It was worth it. She really does make the best mac & cheese. Has there been any word from your uncles?"

He shook his head. "Not yet but I figure that they are tied up with Damon right now. What about Lucy?"

She nodded as she began grating cheese. "She sent a couple text messages. John is very dead. They called the coroners to pick up the body. Oh, Damon is acting like a complete ass still."

"I'm not surprised by either of those things." Tyler glanced at Bonnie with worried eyes.

She saw the concern in his dark brown eyes. Bonnie said, "I am fine, Ty. I didn't feel threatened at the club. Damon isn't physically abusive. Even if he was thinking about putting his hands on me, he isn't stupid enough to do it in front of my family. He wouldn't have survived the night and he knows that."

Tyler shook his head. "Still the way he was yelling at you. Mason had to hold me back…literally."

Bonnie wasn't surprised by that. She said, "I am glad that Mason was there to stop you from getting involved. I don't want you in Damon's crosshairs. I told you once before that I wouldn't stand by and let him kill you, Ty. I meant it..."

"It's just the nerve of that asshole. I couldn't even hear what he said to you over the music but I saw your face. It was quick but whatever he said hurt you."

She looked down at the hand that once bore her wedding ring. "He said that I looked like a slut."

Tyler's head whipped around. "He actually said that shit to you?"

She laughed sadly. "He claimed that he was drunk and didn't mean it. I have to believe that at least part of it is true since Cesare was standing right there. Damon risked getting the beating of his life."

"Porca miseria," he angrily spat.

"Don't get all worked up, Ty. Damon was just throwing a tantrum."

"I don't give a fuck what his problem is. He doesn't get to talk to you that way."

Bonnie abandoned the cheese and walked over to her friend. She latched onto his muscular forearm. "Do you trust me?"

Tyler turned around more so that he was facing her. "You know that I do, Bon."

"Then believe that I am going to make Damon pay for his little tantrum. Seeing him get beat bloody by my cousins would be amusing but does very little further my goals. On the other hand, I threatened to divorce him tonight. I have him by the balls and I will make him give me exactly what I want."

"And what do you want?" he asked.

She smiled up at him. "I want one of my family members as CEO of Velocita. I thought I would have to stage an internal coup to get Damon and Zach out of my way but my husband's temper gave me all the leverage that I need. I am going to string this divorce threat out for a bit and then I will make my demand. Unfortunately, once I do this I will no longer be able to play his innocent little bunny."

Tyler stared at Bonnie for a minute and then groaned. "That kind of got me hard."

"Ty," Bonnie said with a laugh. She rolled her eyes before walking over to the island to finish grating the cheese.

Tyler dumped the pasta into the pot of boiling water. He grinned. "What? I am being serious."

She thought about what happened between them earlier. Bonnie said, "That seems to be your normal state."

"Only when I am around you,'' he promised.

Bonnie bit her lip as she smiled. She dusted off her hands and said, "Alright. I think I grated enough cheese."

Tyler looked at the mound of cheese and chuckled. "Yeah, I think that is enough."

She put away remaining parmesan and then placed plates, glasses, and silverware on the island. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Uh, I'll take a Dr. Pepper."

She grabbed a can of Dr. Pepper and a bottle of fruit juice from the fridge. Then Bonnie had a seat and watched as Tyler finished putting their meal together. In moments like this, she often wondered how different her life would be if Sheila had allowed nature to take its course. However, the businesswoman in her knew that teenage love was fickle. Her grandmother couldn't jeopardize their family's legacy for a budding romance that might not have possessed staying power. Taking down the Salvatores was literally decades in the making.

When the food finished cooking, he brought everything over to the island and pointed to the sausage in the pan. "Those are hot and these are sweet."

Bonnie nodded and shamelessly piled food onto her plate. She added almost half of the cheese that she had grated. The expectant mother's mouth was practically watering.

Tyler sat beside Bonnie and piled the rest of the food onto his plate.

The pair said a silent prayer over their meal before eating. They were both quiet for the first few minutes as they ate.

"This is good. Thanks for cooking, Ty," Bonnie said when she finally came up for air. She opened the bottle of juice and poured it into her glass.

"You're welcome, Bon." When they finished eating, Tyler groaned. "I probably shouldn't have eaten so much."

She laughed softly. "The food was too good to leave any leftovers."

"True."

"I'll take care of the dishes since you cooked," she offered

He gave her Versace dress a pointed look. "You took a big enough risk eating in that thing. I don't know how you managed not to get marinara sauce all over it. I would have."

She laughed and said, "There is a skill in eating while wearing something so expensive. But you are right that I should change into something else. Yoga pants sound really comfortable right now."

"Go. I can handle this," he said

Bonnie smiled at him and then headed upstairs. The master bedroom had received a well-deserved makeover, too. Unfortunately, that meant that the clothes she kept at the beach house were boxed up inside the walk-in closet. She opened the doors to the closet and turned on the light. Bonnie frowned at the space. She was going to have to hire a closet organizer once she moved into the house. There wasn't nearly enough space to house all of her clothes, shoes, and purses. She would probably end up using the guest bedroom's closet as well.

She dug through the boxes until she found the one containing her leisurewear. Bonnie grabbed an outfit and then tried to unzip her dress. She groaned in frustration when she realized her arms were too short to reach the zipper.

Bonnie walked to the top of the stairs and called out, "Tyler! Can you come up here, please?"

A moment later, he came thundering up the stairs. "What's wrong?"

She looked sheepish at his genuine concern. "I'm sorry. There isn't anything wrong. I just needed help getting my dress unzipped."

He chuckled and said, "Of course you need help with those little T-Rex arms of yours. Come here."

Bonnie huffed in mock offense as she turned around.

Tyler unzipped the dress and resisted the urge to touch her soft skin. "Do you need anything else?"

"No." She hugged him and asked, "What did I ever do to deserve you as a friend?"

He smiled. "You kneed me in the balls when I was ten years old."

She laughed and said, "Keep it up and I will do it again."

Tyler lifted and eyebrow. "Try it and I will put you over my knee."

Bonnie feigned a gasp. "Should I be worried about what kinky things you are into? I mean I already know about the foot fetish."

He laughed and tickled Bonnie's sides. "What does innocent little Bonnie know about kinky sex?"

She batted his hands away as her cheeks grew hot. She huffed, "I have the internet."

Tyler's hands stilled when he understood her meaning. "You watch porn?"

Bonnie shoved him. "No! Shut up!"

He grabbed Bonnie's arms and pulled her closer. "That's kinda hot...if you do."

"I was only watching it for research purposes. I had to learn about making love somehow," Bonnie argued.

Her grandmother had educated her about the basics. However, Bonnie used the internet to broaden her base of knowledge after marrying Damon. She had seen enough women traipsing in and out of his bedroom over the years to know that he had a few lifetimes worth of experience. She had wanted to be prepared for anything he required of her. However, Damon had never required much more than missionary sex and the occasional blow job.

Tyler winced and said, "Oh, baby, the internet is not the place to learn about making love. It is fucking pure and simple."

She said, "I figured that out after the fact. It was useful for other things…"

He cocked his head to the side and then grinned. "Do you masturbate?"

"What? No," she said too quickly. She elbowed him. "Stop picking on me."

"Yes, you do! You totally masturbate. I remember when someone was afraid that she would go to hell for that."

Bonnie couldn't stifle her laugh. "I grew up. Besides, masturbation is way down on the list of things I have done that will send me to hell."

"Now I am curious to look at your browser history," Tyler muttered as he kissed her neck.

"I always clear my browser history. I would literally die of embarrassment if anyone ever saw what I watch in my spare time."

His dark brown eyes studied Bonnie's face as if it were a puzzle he just couldn't figure out. He whispered, "Don't knee me…"

Bonnie had a less than a second before he tentatively brushed their lips together. A shiver ran down her spine when his tongue swiped against her lips. Her mouth opened on instinct as she leaned into the kiss.

Alarm bells were going off in Tyler's head. He knew that this was a bad idea. Bonnie was still upset about what happened at the club even if she planned to use it to her advantage. However, he had been desperate to touch her all night and he knew that the feeling was mutual. He pulled away from the kiss reluctantly but rested his forehead against hers to maintain physical contact.

"Why did you stop?" Bonnie asked breathlessly. "Don't you want me?"

He groaned hearing the confusion in her voice. "Fuck. Do you really need to ask me that question? You felt how hard I was for you earlier."

She chewed at her bottom lip. "You had just finished dancing with Vicki. Maybe that was all for her."

He chuckled deeply and moved his lips to her neck. He couldn't get enough of kissing and touching Bonnie. However, he was determined to show a modicum of willpower tonight. "First, Mason would literally kill me. Second, Vicki is my aunt and she doesn't do anything for me on any level. Third, you are the only woman that I want, Bon. I have been celibate for weeks because I want to show you that I'm not him."

Bonnie felt the sincerity of Tyler's words in the pit of her stomach. She didn't think it was possible but it made her want him even more.

"I broke up with Elena yesterday afternoon," he murmured against her neck.

"Really?" she asked in a barely audible voice.

Tyler pulled back to look in her eyes. He nodded. "I told you that I planned to break up with Elena after she finished her final exams. I decided to end our relationship before I helped kill her uncle."

Elena and John weren't particularly close but they were family all the same. Tyler had not wanted to risk being stuck in the relationship simply to be a good person. It would have seemed callous to dump Elena after her uncle died mere days before Christmas. He hoped that by doing it this way she could lean on her family or the classmate that Tyler was still convinced Elena was screwing.

"How did she take the news?" Bonnie asked curiously.

He shrugged his shoulders. "She put up a token fight that I don't even think that she believed. She shed a few obligatory tears and then asked if we could still be friends."

She studied his dark eyes. "Are you okay?"

Tyler said, "I'm fine, Bon. I told you weeks ago, that this breakup has been a long time coming. I just dragged my feet because…"

"Everyone just expected the two of you to get married," she murmured.

He nodded. "My mom must have told my old man because I got an earful tonight over the phone. He has certain concerns about me being your bodyguard now that I am single. He is worried…"

"That we are going to be reckless," she finished.

Tyler smiled. "He's worried that we are going to fuck up everything our families have worked decades to accomplish. But I can tell that he's worried for my safety, too."

Bonnie looked into his eyes for a long moment. "He really doesn't know me, if he thinks that I would let Damon hurt you. You are mine, Tyler Lockwood. I am systematically dismantling Damon's life just because it is what I want to do. He doesn't want to see just how much of an unrelenting bitch I can be when provoked."

He grinned. "I'm yours?"

"Is that all you took from what I just said?" he asked.

He nodded. "Yep."

She chuckled. "Stop grinning like an idiot."

Tyler grabbed her butt and said, "I can't. I like this possessive side of you."

Bonnie's eyebrows furrowed as she gasped softly.

His cheerful smile disappeared and he gazed at Bonnie in concern. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and said, "I am fine…"

Tyler silently waited for Bonnie to explain what was happening. However, a full minute passed and she was still staring down. It finally dawned on him that she was staring at her stomach. "Are the twins okay?"

Bonnie looked up at Tyler and flashed a smile as bright as the sun. "I am like 78% sure that they are moving. The books I have read described the whole quickening thing but this is freaky. I mean it isn't bad or painful just…"

He relaxed once he knew that nothing was wrong. He lifted an eyebrow. "Just tiny humanoid creatures moving around inside of you…"

"Right!" Bonnie exclaimed with a laugh. She shed her dress and marched into her bedroom.

Tyler picked up the $12,000 dress and followed Bonnie into the bedroom. "What are you doing?"

"I read in one of the books that you can feel the movement better if you are lying down," she explained while climbing onto the bed.

He dropped her dress on a chair and took out his phone. Tyler pulled up Google and searched for information on the topic. "What did you say it was called?"

"Uh…quickening," Bonnie said as she tried to get comfortable on the bed. She turned onto her side and stroked her bare tummy.

Tyler climbed onto the bed and sat beside Bonnie. He said, "They say it could be gas. Do you think it is gas?"

She glared at him. "No!"

He asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" She frowned and said, "Maybe. Oh, shut up."

Tyler chuckled and watched Bonnie's face as she waited to feel the babies move again.

A few minutes later, she giggled softly. "Definitely not gas, they are really moving."

"Wow," he muttered quietly.

"I wish that you could feel how awesome this is, but it will be at least a month before that happens-at least that is what book said." Bonnie explained.

He stretched out beside her. "Your face says it all."

"Do I look goofy?" she joked softly.

He said, "You're glowing."

"Ugh, don't be cliché, Ty."

"I am being serious," he said. Tyler snapped a picture with his phone and showed it to her.

"I look regular," she commented.

Tyler kissed her forehead. "Take my word for it."


	40. All Night Long: Part 4

Barring an emergency, Elijah liked to be in bed with his wife well before midnight. He needed seven hours of sleep each night or he would be cantankerous the following day. Getting enough rest wasn't always possible considering he woke up each morning at exactly 6:15. Therefore, he was not pleased when his phone began ringing shortly before 3 o'clock. Normally, a death at his younger brother's nightclub would be an annoyance but not reason enough to force Elijah out of his warm bed. The Salvatore family's consigliere, John Gilbert, dying in Niklaus' club required his immediate attention. Elijah knew that his brother would not be stupid enough to whack one of their allies in his own club. However, circumstances that were far more innocuous had ignited bloody mob wars in the past. Elijah would not allow that to happen on his watch.

He had reluctantly abandoned his bed after explaining the situation to Hayley. Elijah wanted her to understand that he might be out of touch for the rest of the day. He had also instructed her to stay home with their children until he knew what was happening. The Mikaelson and Salvatore organizations were civilized men that lived by a code. They would never strike against innocent women and children as a means of retaliation. However, Elijah did not know if John Gilbert's death was the plot of a third party. Perhaps someone was trying to force a wedge between the two families by breeding suspicion. Their rivals had already begun to circle as they sniffed out the upheaval in the Salvatore organization. They were looking for any cracks in the thirty-year-old alliance that had suffocated their competition.

Elijah took just enough time to double the security for his family and certain business interests. He was especially concerned about the safety of Freya and her children. They lived nearly an hour away in a community near Santa Monica. The rest of his siblings had their own places but still spent the majority of the time in their childhood home. Once those security arrangements were in place Elijah got on the road. He was worried about Niklaus interacting with Damon. The two men had been bitter rivals since they were children. They behaved like oil and water whenever they had the misfortune of being in the same room. Alcohol and drugs only made them more volatile and unpredictable. Elijah could only assume that they were both impaired this late on a Saturday night. Marcellus was there to help serve as a buffer but Niklaus could be notoriously stubborn. Elijah and perhaps Rebekah were the only persons capable of managing his infamous temper. Although his brother had been unnervingly calm lately.

He had been keeping a close eye on his younger brother since he learned of his transgressions. He had quizzed Rebekah extensively about any romantic entanglements Niklaus had before his stint in prison. She wasn't able to provide Elijah with the details that he needed. She had confessed to knowing that Niklaus had been infatuated with an underage girl the summer before his incarceration. She even told Elijah that she had become concerned for the girl's safety after reading one of their brother's journals. Rebekah insisted that she never learned the girl's identity because Niklaus only referred to her as _petal_. However, Elijah didn't believe that his sister was being entirely forthcoming. As a child, Rebekah had often lied to protect Niklaus from Mikael's wrath. Elijah was offended that she believed their brother needed protection from him. Then again, it wasn't as if he had ever done anything to protect Niklaus from Mikael or Esther. Perhaps she believed his declarations of love for their brother were merely lip service.

The dapper crime boss received an urgent text message from his nephew as his driver found a parking space behind the nightclub. Andrew was concerned that Niklaus was about to have an epic brawl with Damon Salvatore. Apparently, the two men had been trading insults for the last ten minutes. However, the conversation had grown heated unexpectedly. Andrew was trying to calm down his uncle without much success. Elijah couldn't believe that Niklaus had even allowed their underage nephew into his club. Freya was going to throw a strop when she found out that Andrew had been present when John died. She was still in denial about her son's future. Freya still hoped that he would become a doctor but Elijah knew better. Andrew had changed his major without telling his mother. He had chosen a path that would be useful to the organization one day—Business Administration.

Elijah climbed out of the car and walked around to the front of the club with Vincent Griffith following him. He had stopped to pick the man up on his way to the club. His friend/second-in-command was there to help him keep the peace with the Salvatores. Vincent was set to retire soon but he would still have a role in the organization. Elijah valued his counsel and analytical thinking too much let him go. His skills would be particularly useful in these tumultuous times.

He walked into the club and sighed deeply because Niklaus and Damon were tussling on the dance floor. Andrew, Marcellus, Enzo, and Mason were trying to break up the scuffle before someone threw the first punch. Elijah wished that Alaric and Zacharias were there to help him play referee for the boys. Talking sense into Damon's stubborn head was a bit of a challenge for the older man. He had a friendly relationship with Damon and there was mutual respect. However, the new don of the Salvatore organization wouldn't want to be seen as taking orders to stand down from the head of another organization. Elijah understood Damon's position better than most.

Vincent shook his head. He got the feeling that he would have to delay his retirement plans. He was starting to have doubts about Niklaus taking his position. It seemed that his time in prison had done little more than make him more vicious and entitled. Elijah had something of a blind spot where his younger brother was concerned. Vincent wasn't certain if that blind spot stemmed from love, guilt, or some amalgamation of both.

"Don't you mention my fucking wife!" Damon bellowed as he jabbed a finger into Klaus' chest.

Damon and Bonnie's relationship was a festering wound so of course Niklaus just had to poke at it. Earlier, he had been angry and jealous when he saw how his wife was dressed. It was a bitter reminder that she didn't want or need him any longer. The liquor had loosened his tongue and he had spewed pure vitriol at the woman he had vowed to love for the rest of his life. Before tonight, he had never hurled a single derogatory word at Bonnie. He had never wanted to be like his father. Giuseppe used words to bludgeon his family as often as he used his fists. The old man always knew the combination of words to make them feel worthless. Damon hated himself for doing that to Bonnie.

Niklaus chuckled darkly. "Is Bonnie still your wife? I have heard rumors that she is living with her mother. Besides, Marcel told me that she looked single tonight in her little gold dress with no ring on her finger. I'm sorry that I missed seeing that."

Elijah closed his eyes in exasperation because he knew the punch was coming before it even connected with Niklaus' jaw. His brother had an uncanny ability to say exactly the wrong thing at the worst possible time.

Klaus' head snapped to the side from the power of Damon's punch. His manic grin put his blood stained teeth on display. Then he threw an uppercut that connected with Damon's chin. "Did I touch a sore spot, Damon? Everyone knows that Bonnie married beneath her."

"You son of a bitch," Damon roared as he punched Klaus again.

"Yes, my mother is an unmitigated bitch. She also happens to be an adulterous whore. I'm sure you'd both get along swimmingly," he quipped. Then he elbowed Damon in the stomach hard enough to knock the air out of him for a few seconds.

Enzo threw a punch that caught Klaus in the kidney. Damon wasn't the only person that had bad blood with Niklaus. The man had a knack for making enemies wherever he went.

"Oi! What do you think you're playing at?" Andrew asked. He slammed his forehead into Enzo's face hard enough to break his nose.

The older man stumbled backward and cupped a hand under his bleeding nose. His eyes narrowed and he prepared to pummel the little prick that had headbutted him. He went straight for the 19-year-old college student.

The boy swallowed nervously and squared his shoulders as he prepared for impact. He had been in a few minor scrapes before but he knew Enzo's reputation as a brutally efficient hitman.

However, Niklaus moved in front of Andrew. He flashed a sharp grin at Enzo as he opened his jacket to flash the Glock holstered on his hip. He said, "This is a friendly fight where no one has to die. All of that changes if you put your hands on my nephew. The lad walloped you for throwing a cheap shot at me. Take it in stride."

Damon understood Enzo's desire to retaliate. He also understood Klaus' position. Damon would have felt the same way if it were Stefan in Andrew's place. He held a hand up and said, "Take a walk, Enzo."

Damon was glad that he had sent Stefan home once John's body was transported to the morgue. However, his little brother's night was far from over. Stefan had a pulse on all of the civilians, law enforcement, and public officials on their payroll. Stefan didn't get his hands dirty but the boy was a wizard when it came to managing assets—both human and financial. Damon thought his brother's guileless personality made people trust him. However, Stefan was as crooked as they came even if he wasn't a murderer. Damon wanted his brother to ensure their man in the medical examiner's office got first crack at John's body. He needed to know the results of the autopsy before anyone else did. Depending on the ME's findings, Stefan might have to arrange for a falsified autopsy report. Damon had to control the narrative around John's death—no matter the official cause.

The hitman glared at Niklaus but he knew better than to contradict Damon at a time like this. He turned around and headed to the restroom so he could clean up.

Elijah said, "At a time when our enemies are looking for any signs of weakness, the two of you decide to fistfight as if you are on the playground. Thank God there aren't any civilians here to witness this childish display."

Klaus rolled his eyes at his older brother. Elijah didn't know what it meant to have fire in his veins. He could be a brutal killer when necessary but he was always aloof about it. On the other hand, Niklaus took great pleasure in his work. He turned around to check on Andrew. "Are you alright?"

He nodded and tried to disguise his nervousness. "Yes."

The older man grinned at his nephew and ruffled the boy's dark brown hair. "Are you sure? Because your mother will kill me if a hair your perfect little head was harmed."

Andrew let out an embarrassed groan. "Mom will flip if she finds out that I was even here."

Klaus smiled at him. "Then we just won't tell her. Go get yourself a drink. You have earned it."

Elijah frowned in disapproval. "One drink, Andrew. Then I will have someone take you home."

"Okay, Uncle Elijah."

Niklaus motioned for Marcel to follow the boy.

Marcel the put his arm around Andrew's shoulders and steered him over to the bar. "What'll you have, kiddo?" he asked.

Elijah walked closer and asked, "What was this dust up about? I hope you don't believe that my family had anything to do with John's death."

Damon spit blood onto the floor and then finger combed his dark hair away from his face. "No, it is nothing like that. The medical examiner's preliminary assessment was a drug overdose. My people confirmed that John had been popping ecstasy and snorting cocaine tonight. Klaus just doesn't know when to mind his own fucking business."

Elijah was glad to hear that this fight had been benign. It wasn't the first time the two men had drawn blood from each other. It probably wouldn't be the last time considering their tempers and propensity for violence. He looked at his younger brother. "What happened, brother?"

"Damon overreacted to a simple inquiry. I heard from one of the waitresses that Bonnie looked distressed when Damon approached her tonight. I just asked if everything was okay and he flew off the handle," Niklaus explained.

The crime boss knew that his brother was downplaying the situation. Niklaus had razor sharp wit and often didn't know when to leave well enough alone. He had also noticed that his brother had an inappropriate level of interest in Bonnie Bennett-Salvatore. Recently, Niklaus had pumped Hayley for information about Bonnie. She had revealed a great deal of information before she became suspicious of his intentions. "I am sure that Niklaus is very sorry that he overstepped while speaking about your wife. My brother's socialization skills may have been dulled a bit while he was incarcerated with brutes. I hope that you can forgive his impetuousness."

Damon used a handkerchief to dab at the blood on his face. He felt stupid for letting the smug bastard goad him into a fight. However, he did wonder why Niklaus decided to start a fight with him that night. It was stupefying and needlessly reckless but Damon would never make the mistake of believing Klaus was stupid. He nodded. "We are all on edge tonight because of what John's death could mean. I am willing to let bygones be bygones."

Niklaus wanted to push Damon's buttons more but he didn't feel like getting an even longer lecture from his older brother. "I am sorry, Damon. My brother is right that after five years in prison my interpersonal skills could use some refinement. It will not happen again."

"Apology accepted," Damon replied.

Elijah asked, "Could I possibly speak to my brother for a moment?"

Damon nodded. "I need to call my uncles anyway. They were supposed to have arrived already. I should find out what's the hold up."

They were all supposed to meet at Klaus' club to discuss John's death and Giuseppe's ever looming presence. Damon didn't suspect foul play. He couldn't fathom someone going to the trouble of poisoning John in a crowded nightclub when a bullet from a sniper's rifle would have been just as effective. Damon generally subscribed to the philosophy of Occam's razor: the simplest explanation was usually correct.

However, there was a little voice in the back of Damon's head that felt unsettled by the situation. He wondered if this was some an elaborate plan hatched by his demented father to sow seeds of distrust. Elijah's friendship with Alaric guaranteed that the Mikaelson organization would side with Damon. Furthermore, John Gilbert had pledged his emphatic support after Giuseppe's deadly escape plan. He even managed to sweet talk a few of the last holdouts to back Damon. John had realized that the old man did not have a snowball's chance in hell of maintaining control of the organization. Giuseppe had burned one too many bridges when he wantonly slaughtered loyal Salvatore soldiers. Those men's families had thrown their full support behind Damon. In return, he promised to give his father a death befitting a mad tyrant.

Elijah motioned for his brother to follow him. "Let's move this discussion to your office, Niklaus."

The man ran a hand over his blond curls before dutifully walking to his office. He locked the door once they were safely inside.

"What were you thinking?"

Klaus sighed dramatically and sat behind his glass top desk. He asked, "About what, brother?"

"Frankly, I do not know where to begin, Niklaus. Let's start with your brilliant reasoning behind allowing Andrew into your club tonight," Elijah suggested. He sat down across from his brother with a stern set to his jaw.

He said, "You should be speaking with Kol about that. I found him and Andrew at Full Moon. I was about to take the boy home to Freya when Marcel called me about what happened here."

Elijah's frown deepened. "Why on Earth would Kol take Andrew to a gentleman's club?"

"Kol thinks our nephew is gay. He got the bright idea to test his theory at my club by arranging a threesome with two of top my dancers. Fortunately, one of the girls sought my approval before anything untoward occurred."

Elijah looked genuinely dumbfounded for a moment. Then he asked, "What?"

Klaus shook his head. "You will have to speak with Kol. I don't know what he was thinking. Nor do I understand why he believes it matters if Andrew does enjoy the company of men."

The older man rubbed his temples. His brothers were going to send him to an early grave. "I will handle Kol. Thank you for intervening. Freya would have never let me hear the end of it."

"I was not going to allow Kol to bully our nephew into proving his manhood in such a ridiculous way."

"Do you care to explain what the hell happened between you and Damon?"

Niklaus tried hard to suppress his trademark smirk. "It was merely a joke gone badly, brother. I was ribbing Damon and I admit it went too far. He said some very unkind things to me and I responded by hitting him where I knew it would hurt. I recognize now that I should have shown more restraint. You are right these are precarious times. In the future, I will be more mindful that I am no longer a lone wolf. My words and actions reflect upon our family and organization."

Elijah was immediately suspicious of Klaus' reasoned and incredibly self-aware response. He had expected to encounter more resistance and petulance.

"You seem disappointed," Klaus remarked with a chuckle.

"No, I am not disappointed. I would love to believe that you are taking your position in our family seriously, Niklaus. However, you have to understand why I am suspicious. I was not privy to the beginning of your argument with Damon but I saw the end. Those accusations about his marriage were not simply counter blows. They were targeted and you drew great pleasure when those strikes landed."

He took a relaxed posture in his chair. "I do not know what you would like for me to say, Elijah. You know that there is no love lost between Damon and me. We have never gotten along. However, I will endeavor to do better in the future. I know once I am your second-in-command I will be required to interact with him on a regular basis. I will not let you down, brother."

Elijah mentally counted that as a second strike. Something was well and truly out of place here. "Why did you ask Hayley about Damon's wife?"

Klaus was caught off guard by his brother's question. He had implored Hayley to keep their conversation private. There was a time when his dimpled smile would have been enough to secure her compliance. However, in his absence Hayley had actually fallen in love with Elijah. Oh, she still loved Niklaus…that much was readily apparent. Only it was a familial love. She loved him in the way a woman should love her brother-in-law. It seemed his charms would no longer sway her.

Fortunately, Niklaus was always quick on his feet when it came to lying. "The night of my party, I was present for a conversation between Damon, Stefan, and their uncles. The conversation preceded the fight that I mentioned to you."

Elijah nodded because he did recall having that conversation with Niklaus. He had been surprised to hear that Damon and Stefan had resorted to fisticuffs in such a public venue. He found himself intrigued by the conversation that Niklaus had failed to mention at the time. "Well, don't leave me in suspense."

"I didn't get all the details but it seems as if there is trouble in paradise. Stefan accused Damon of not protecting Bonnie from Giuseppe. He also mentioned that she is often depressed because of Damon's infidelity and neglect. She is also pregnant."

Certain pieces began slotting into place as he integrated this information with what he already knew. Alaric and Damon had not told him their reasons behind the decision to unseat Giuseppe ahead of schedule. However, the timing of everything made more sense now. Bonnie's pregnancy wasn't a surprise. Hayley had told him the night of Erik's christening.

Unfortunately, Niklaus' explanation for his behavior left Elijah even more unsettled. Why would he purposefully provoke Damon when he knew their marriage was on the rocks? Elijah was starting to formulate an uncomfortable theory about his brother's interest in young Bonnie. He could extract the truth from Niklaus but it would come at a price. Proving his theory correct would put Elijah in a difficult position. He knew it was a cowardly move but he decided to drop his line of questioning. Damon and Niklaus had apologized to each other and they were primed to move forward. Nothing good would come from opening a door that was better left closed.

His phone chimed when he received a text message but he ignored it. He said, "Stop."

"What?" Niklaus asked. His forehead wrinkled with genuine confusion.

He said, "I do not know what you are up to, Niklaus. I do not want to know. However, I do want you to stop—right now. Your interest or curiosity about Bonnie and her marriage is inappropriate and dangerous. To the wrong ears, it could be misconstrued. Do not mention her again unless it is absolutely necessary. Even then, you will speak of her respectfully and in the briefest of terms. If I have to broach this subject again with you…I will not be as pleasant. I have welcomed you back into the fold with open arms. I have given you dominion over our largest parcel of territory. Soon you will hold a position of great power in our organization. You have unfettered access to Hope. All of these things can disappear at a moment's notice."

Niklaus blinked as he realized that Elijah was getting closer to a truth that he could never learn. It would put him in an impossible situation. The same impossible situation that had prompted Finn to orchestrate Niklaus' incarceration. He had been stunned when Elijah told him of their brother's involvement. Niklaus had yet to speak to Finn because he was furious. Prison had not been easy for him even with all the protection and luxuries his family's money and connections provided. However, he also understood his older brother's decision. Finn had done what was necessary to protect Bonnie and prevent a bloody mob war. Niklaus had no doubt that Sheila would have killed him if she had learned the truth. In a strange way, Niklaus felt some gratitude to Finn for stopping him. He had hurt Bonnie and done some real damage to her emotionally over the span of a few months. Klaus didn't want to contemplate how much worse things might have become if he had more time with her.

Lately, he found himself thinking about the night of Mikael's funeral. He had hurt her. More importantly, she had been terrified of him. He had been angry, distraught, and violent. He had recklessly unleashed all of that on a 16-year-old girl too afraid to ask him to stop and too ashamed to seek help from anyone but God. He would have done far worse to Bonnie that night if they had more time alone. The way he had enjoyed her tearful humiliation as she gagged around his length made him feel sick to his stomach now. He had wanted to hurt some as badly as he was hurting at the time. Bonnie had been the perfect victim.

He nodded, "You have my word, brother."

Elijah checked his phone and stood. He said, "Alaric and Zacharias have arrived. We shouldn't make them wait any longer."

Niklaus followed him to the door.

The older man stopped and leveled a serious gaze at his brother. "I love you, brother. I am sorry for all the ways that I have failed you. I know that I stood by and allowed Father to hurt you for far too long. I will wear my cowardice like a scarlet letter until I draw my last breath. However, your actions have consequences and could put us all at risk. Father called you a loose cannon and a lost cause. I refuse to believe that about you. Prove him wrong, Niklaus."

Klaus swallowed thickly as his brother walked out of the office. He took a moment to gather his wits before following him.

Elijah motioned to one of his bodyguards. He said, "Make sure my nephew gets home safely."

The man nodded. "Yes, sir."

He looked to his nephew. "I want to see you this afternoon to discuss tonight's adventures."

Andrew said, "Okay."

He watched the guard escort the boy out of the club before he turned his attention to Alaric. The two men embraced.

Ric took a step back and said, "Thank you for coming out tonight. I know it's late."

He said, "It is fine. I am sorry for your loss. I have heard through the grapevine that you have lost quite a few men this week."

His blue eyes looked tired and he had bags under his eyes. Alaric could count on two hands the number of hours he had slept since Giuseppe killed and injured so many of their soldiers. "Unfortunately, the rumors are true. John is the eighth person that has died this week."

"Let's all have a seat," Elijah suggested. He felt sympathy for his old friend. He was glad that Mikael's reign had ended at the bottom of a ravine.

Marcel had pushed a couple tables together to accommodate the group.

Damon, Zach, Mason, and Alaric sat on one side of the makeshift table. Meanwhile Elijah, Vincent, Niklaus, and Marcel sat on the other side of the table.

Enzo stood guard near the entrance. Damon had not invited him to sit at the table with the rest of the big boys. Enzo glared at Mason. The two men were always civil and professional but they disliked each other. Enzo could admit that the negative vibes had come from him first and Mason merely returned them wholeheartedly. Enzo's latest complaint was that the bastard was next in line for the underboss position. He figured as Damon's best friend and right hand man that the job should be his. However, Mason was the golden boy because he was a Loiacono. The St. John family did not have the same storied history with the Salvatores.

Damon said, "As I told you, the medical examiner said that John's preliminary cause of death is a drug overdose. We do not believe that this was an assassination by our enemies. I am sorry that one of my associates drew a negative spotlight to your club, Klaus."

Zach reached for one of the carafes and poured two cups of coffee. He slid one of the cups to his nephew without even looking in his direction. Stefan had called earlier to give him the rundown on Damon's argument with Bonnie. Then he saw the aftermath of his fight with Klaus. Damon seemed off kilter when they spoke. He could tell it wasn't just alcohol or John's death putting him on edge. He would lay money on his nephew having used cocaine tonight. Zach would confront him about it later. He was willing to support his alcoholic nephew as boss of the family. Zach was a functional alcoholic, too. However, he would not support a reckless cokehead.

The blonde mobster nodded. He said, "No apology necessary, Damon. You have to expect a drug overdose or two when you manage a club that is this popular."

Marcel added, "We have connections in the vice squad. This night will be forgotten by the time New Year's Eve rolls around."

Damon picked up the cup of coffee and sipped it. "We do have a problem that we would like to bring to your attention. We believe that Giuseppe is in the area and that he may be planning an attack against us. He has limited resources and very few allies. However, he may strike against your organization as well."

Elijah nodded. "I expected as much. I have already increased security around my family and our business interests. We will be ready if Giuseppe moves against us. Is there anything we can do to assist you?"

Damon said, "We would be grateful if you could make sure your people understand that the Salvatore organization is under new management. I would appreciate a heads up if he reaches out to any of your people."

"I will make sure that is abundantly clear to everyone."

"Thank you," Damon replied. He felt awkward coming to Elijah hat in hand. However, Giuseppe running around unchecked was bad for business. They couldn't focus on earning if they were worried about a being attacked.

Alaric said, "Damon has put a bounty on Giuseppe's head with our own people. We feel confident that we will find him soon."

"If there is anything more that we can do…let us know," Elijah replied.

"We will," Ric said.

Damon said, "My uncle said that there was some issue with one of our rivals?"

Vincent explained, "The Dezerians have begun inching into our shared territory around the Cali-Oregon border. It is nothing extensive for now. However, our people are encountering packets of heroin with their logo stamped on it."

The Salvatores and Mikaelsons had decided to split the area in half. The Salvatores operated on the border in Oregon, while the Mikaelsons operated on the border in California. Either way they controlled what contraband crossed state lines. More to the point, they received a cut of anything transported through the area.

Damon frowned. "We haven't heard anything from our people. They may have decided to test your side of the border first."

Zach said, "I will speak with the capo that runs things for us up there. We need to know how widespread this is. Do you need our assistance?"

Elijah smiled. "No, I know that you all have many things happening right now. I only wanted to warn you. Niklaus will be traveling north to introduce himself to the Dezerians."

The man in question smiled darkly. Judging by his expression there was no doubt that their rivals would die screaming once he was finished with them. "I'll be sure to give them your regards."


	41. The Blood We're Spilling

Sunday morning had been practically idyllic. The Benedetto cousins had come around for breakfast at Abby's house. She and Lucy had cooked enough food to feed an army. Laughter and raucous stories about their family had filled the early morning meal. Everyone studiously avoided the very large pink elephant in the room. They all knew how rotten Damon had treated Bonnie last night. They also knew that her cool demeanor meant that there was a reckoning on the horizon. Having Damon beat into a bloody pulp would be satisfying but ultimately meaningless. Bonnie would extract compensation from her estranged husband in her own time and it would be exorbitant.

Later that morning they all attended Mass together. Bonnie found it refreshing to be around family that shared her beliefs. It had been unsettling to marry into a family that had long ago turned their backs on the church. As a child, she would attend Mass every Sunday morning with her grandmother. After church, Sheila would take Bonnie to lunch. There she would explain the priest's lessons in a way that a young child could understand. Sheila believed that the bloody business they were born into was capable of stripping away a person's soul, humanity, and sanity. She taught Bonnie to use her faith to remain grounded. Sheila felt that it was the only way to control the darkness lurking in their hearts. She knew how easy it was to transition from doing monstrous things to becoming a monster.

Bonnie kept that lesson in mind as she said goodbye to her little girl. She picked Sarah up and hugged her close. She said, "You are going to spend the afternoon with Nonna. She has so many fun things planned."

Sarah wrapped her arms around Bonnie's neck and squeezed. "Why can't I come with you, Mama?"

The raven-haired girl had been more attached to her mother since she witnessed Giuseppe attack her. However, that attachment had seemingly intensified in the last few days.

Bonnie hated denying Sarah even a moment of her time. However, her plans for the afternoon couldn't be altered. She smoothed a hand over Sarah's back and said, "I would love to take you with me, but I have a very important meeting this afternoon, Bambolina. You would be very bored while you waited for me. But I promise that I will not be gone for long. We can do whatever you want when I get home."

Her blue eyes sparkled as she asked, "Can we have a tea party?"

"I think a tea party sounds lovely. I bet we could even convince your uncle Jamie to join us. Wouldn't that be fun?" asked Bonnie. Her voice was loud enough to catch her younger brother's attention.

Jamie was standing nearby staring at his phone. He scoffed but then asked, "Will the tea be real?"

Bonnie laughed and asked, "What good is a tea party without proper tea and tiny sandwiches? I might even stop by the bakery to pick up some scones and teacakes. But only if you are a very good girl for Nonna."

Sarah nodded excitedly. "I will be a very good girl. I promise, Mama."

Bonnie smiled and peppered Sarah's little face with kisses. She placed the girl on her feet and gave her a gentle pat on the back. "Go on. I will see you soon. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Jamie held out his hand. "Come on, Bambi. Let's go see what game Cooper is playing on his tablet."

Sara raced forward and grabbed her uncle's hand. Then the pair walked over to the car where Cooper was already waiting.

Abby was holding a sleeping Savannah in her arms while she chatted quietly with Lucy. Bonnie couldn't hear their conversation but she could guess the content. Abby didn't know exactly where her daughter was headed but she knew it was dangerous. She was likely telling Lucy to keep Bonnie safe from whatever new threat was lurking in the shadows. However, her mother did not need to go to the trouble. Lucy wasn't the only Benedetto that would be accompanying the young woman this afternoon. The world was about to change for their family in a very big way.

Bonnie walked across the courtyard to join her mother and cousin. She said, "It's time to get going, Luce."

Lucy smiled and jokingly said, "I know. I was just reassuring your mother. She is worried about her little girl. I'm trying to convince Abby that she can't toss you into a burlap sack and take you home to Milazzo."

The young woman knew that Lucy was joking but Abby did feel that way. Bonnie couldn't blame her. She would want to do the same if someone was threatening Sarah. While Shadow Hills was home, Milazzo was being within the protective bosom of family.

"These are strange times. I keep feeling like something terrible is barreling right towards us," Abby replied ominously.

"Are turning odd in your old age like Grandma Emily did? Have you started dreaming of fishes?" Lucy asked jokingly.

Bonnie rested a hand on her stomach with a laugh. She said, "Well, she would be a little late on that premonition."

"Don't make me curse both of you out in front of the Lord's house," the older woman retorted with a small smile on her face.

Lucy chuckled softly and put her hands up in a placating gesture. "My lips are sealed…"

Abby rolled her eyes and said, "You haven't stopped talking since you started babbling at seven months old. You fell in love with the sound of your own voice from the very beginning."

The younger woman smirked. "It's not my fault that I was blessed with the voice of an angel."

Abby stepped forward and hugged Bonnie. "I want you to be safe, baby girl."

She smiled warmly and nodded her head in the direction of their male cousins. "What do you think is going to happen to me with those three lugs watching me like hawks?"

Abby followed her daughter's gaze and relaxed. "Well, I feel better knowing that the three musketeers will be with the two of you."

Bonnie lowered her voice and said, "Tyler is going to be there, too."

"They all will," added Lucy for good measure.

Abby nodded knowingly. Now she understood what was happening to some degree. "Well, don't let me keep you any longer. I am going to get the kids home and get them working on Christmas cookies like little Keebler elves."

Bonnie motioned for Matt and said, "Mattie is going home with you to keep an eye on things. Better safe than sorry…"

Abby said, "Well, don't just stand there like a lump on a long, Matthew. Come along. Are you any good at baking?"

"Uh, sort of." Matt squeezed Bonnie's forearm and smiled. "Give em hell, Bon."

"Oh, I will," she replied cheerfully.

Lucy and Bonnie linked arms and walked across the parking lot. Two Range Rovers with tinted windows were idling while Cesare, Remy, and Cristian talked amongst themselves. The girls climbed into the back of the first car.

A moment later, Lexi climbed into the front passenger seat. She said, "I just talked to my little brother. Almost everyone is present and accounted for. It is all business as usual as far as anyone is concerned. They think that my father called the meeting."

The Benedetto family was different from other mafia organizations. The women born and married into the family weren't automatically shut out of the process. Those that showed a certain aptitude were given an opportunity to prove themselves. A few generations removed, they had not forgotten how Hannah's ingenuity had given life to the empire they now held. The Benedetto family had been simple merchants that turned into smugglers in the mid nineteenth century. They would have remained inconsequential if not for Vincenzo falling in love with such a formidable woman.

Lexi was a Lockwood by birth but she became a Benedetto after marrying Cesare. She had jumped at the opportunity of having a role in the organization. Her mother, Carol, was a tender soul. Lexi had inherited that caring spirit but she was also her father's daughter. She wanted more out of life than motherhood alone could provide. That wasn't to say that she didn't want to be a mother. Lexi and Cesare had four children in nearly eight years of marriage. She just hadn't been able to stomach the idea of her gender forcing her into only occupying that space in the world.

"Good. I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise," Bonnie quipped.

Lucy chuckled softly and pulled a hand carved mahogany box from her purse. She said, "I found out from my gran that Abby had this locked away. I thought you might like to have it for today. Unfortunately, my asking Abby for it tipped her off about what is about to go down. Sorry."

Bonnie's green eyes warmed when she saw the box. She took it from Lucy and ran her fingers over the intricate carvings. Bonnie flipped open the top and smiled at the gleaming silver item inside. "I haven't seen this since I was a little girl. Thank you, Luce."

"It was nothing," she replied airily.

Bonnie ran her fingers over the cold metal and then closed the box once more. She opened her bag and placed the box inside. "That's not true at all."

Lucy casually studied her manicured nails. She asked, "Have you heard from Damon?"

Lexi peered over the seat because she was interested in that question, too. Tyler hadn't been the only Lockwood that wanted to murder Damon last night. She would never forget the look on her father's face when she relayed the story. He took his responsibility of looking out for Bonnie seriously. Richard felt as if he had let Sheila down for a second time.

"No, I haven't talked to him. He has sent a few text messages that I haven't answered. I will speak to him when I am ready. Not a minute sooner…"

"Good. You make his dumb ass stew for a while. He deserves that and a hell of a lot more," Lucy said snidely. "For a moment, I thought he was going to be stupid enough to put his fucking hands on you."

The younger girl shook her head. "I know that you have very little faith in my husband. However, I can say with certainty that he is not a wife batterer. He's too worried about turning into Giuseppe—not that I blame him."

Lucy bit her tongue because she didn't share Bonnie's faith in Damon's integrity. She didn't hate him as some members of their family did. There was a time when she had a thing for Damon. She knew that he was capable of goodness. However, her positive vibes had soured upon seeing how he treated Bonnie. She wondered where the old Damon she occasionally snorted cocaine with in her early 20's had gone.

Cesare climbed into the driver's side of the car and looked in the back seat. "Ready?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yep."

He started the car and pulled out of the church's parking lot. Fortunately, it was not a long drive because the meeting place was in the area. Richard had chosen one of their rarely used warehouses because of the proximity to the church.

Bonnie asked, "Do you think that Beatrice would be interested in moving out here?"

The mention of her younger sister caught Lucy off guard for a moment. "She has thought about leaving Miami and spreading her wings. She talked to Tessa about a job for a while before backing off the idea. Why do you ask?"

"There is going to be a shake up at Velocita very soon. Mama suggested Aunt Ayana as a viable replacement for Damon as CEO. I will need to meet with her first but I am inclined to agree," she explained.

Cesare chuckled as he made an illegal U-turn in the middle of an intersection.

Lexi frowned. "I am driving back because you're going to kill us."

"Yes, mio amore." He looked at Bonnie in the rearview mirror. "Zacharias will not be pleased if he gets passed over."

"Well, he will just have to deal with it. I have had quite enough of the Salvatores running roughshod over Velocita. We need to move our family members into better positions within the company. Besides, Damon and Zach will have their hands full with the organization. We need a CEO that can devote all of his or her attention to Velocita. There is no one more qualified for the job than Auntie. She was the chief operating officer of our company before the merger."

Lucy asked, "Where does Bea fit into this plan?"

"We are going to have to shuffle several positions within the company to accommodate the changes I have in mind. The head of our public relations department will soon have a different job title. I was thinking that Bea would be a perfect fit."

While Lucy had chosen to put her roots in their families illegal dealings, her younger sister had focused on their legitimate business ventures. To that end, Beatrice had earned a master's degree in Public Relations and Corporate Communications. "I can talk to her. Maybe she can come out for a visit when my granny comes to town in a few weeks."

Bonnie smiled and squeezed Lucy's hand in thanks. "I would love that. I haven't seen Bea…"

"Since the funeral," Lucy finished softly.

She nodded. Bonnie's hand sought out the Saint Christopher's medal around her neck. Her goals had changed drastically since the day Damon learned what Giuseppe had done to her. At that point, all she wanted was her family and her business. Bonnie still wanted her family only Damon was no longer included in that number. She longed to be closer to those that shared her blood. The Salvatores were every bit as poisonous as Abby had claimed that they were. They were men that did not understand how to do monstrous things without themselves turning into monsters.

"Nonno will be coming here, too. He and Zia Geneva have synchronized their trips," Cesare added.

Lucy said, "We should have a party. It's not every day that Uncle Johnny makes a trip to the States."

"You're always looking for a reason to party, Luce," Bonnie chided playfully.

"I want to get all of my partying in before shit starts sagging. Then I will settle down with the white picket fence and 2.5 kids."

The younger girl smiled mischievously. "Are you thinking about settling down with Brady? He's just your kinda crazy. You two have been spending a lot of time together since you hooked up over Thanksgiving."

Lucy lifted an eyebrow and said, "You're just trying to start shit now."

Bonnie shrugged innocently. "I'm just saying that you two have looked mighty cozy."

Lexi looked over the seat with a smirk. Because of her grandfather spending more than a decade in prison, she was embarrassingly close in age to her uncles, Brady and Mason. Therefore, they were more like her older brothers. "There is just something about Loiaconos and Benedettos. We can't keep our hands off each other."

Lucy smirked at her younger cousin. "Ain't that the truth?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes as they pulled up to a gray warehouse made of corrugated metal. Around twenty-five cars occupied the parking lot. It looked as if everyone had heeded Richard's summons. However, none of them had reason to be suspicious. John had died at a Mikaelson establishment and they had dead and injured men in France. Moreover, Giuseppe was running amok and Damon had put a bounty out on his head. It was reasonable for Richard to ensure they had their proverbial ducks in a row.

Tyler walked out of the warehouse before Cesare even had a chance to turn off the engine.

Bonnie climbed out of the car with a grin. They had only been apart a handful of hours but she had missed him all the same. "How goes it?"

He took a minute to admire Bonnie's appearance because she was a vision of beauty. Tyler cleared his throat when he realized that he had been staring too long. "Uh, my old man is keeping everyone occupied with business."

Bonnie was wearing a pair of dark denim jeans, a blue tank top made of silk, and a fitted black leather jacket. She slung her purse over her shoulder and followed Tyler up to the warehouse. She discreetly slipped her hand into his for a moment. "Will you come back to the house when all of this is over? Mama is making Christmas cookies with the kids…"

"Sure," he replied with a smile. Tyler opened the door to let Bonnie walk in first. He was a gentleman after all…and he really wanted to see how her ass looked in those jeans. He wasn't disappointed.

She walked into the cavernous warehouse where thirty or so chairs had been hastily organized into rows. All of the chairs were filled with the assets that her grandmother and great-grandmother had spent decades cultivating within the Salvatore family. The only ones missing were dead, in prison, or on the other side of the world in Milazzo.

Her Jimmy Choo heels clicked against the concrete floor as she walked to the front of the room with Tyler trailing behind her.

Her cousins and Lexi took seats at the back to keep an eye on everyone.

Richard stopped talking as Bonnie approached him. He cleared his throat. "Now I am going to hand things off to someone that would like to speak to all of us."

Bonnie hugged Richard for a long moment and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied.

The tension in the room was literally audible as the men shifted anxiously in the creaky metal chairs. Sheila's granddaughter showing up unexpected and unannounced meant that there was trouble brewing. Rumors of Giuseppe's attack on her had trickled down through the ranks for the last few weeks. They had been waiting to see what actions Bonnie would take-if any.

She placed her purse on the folding table behind her before turning around to face the crowd. Bonnie's sharp green eyes roamed the room for a few seconds to take in everything. She smiled wryly. "I am sorry for having Uncle Richie call you all here under false pretenses. However, as my mother reminded me this morning, we are living in strange times. We can't even be sure who among us are friend or foe. That uncertainty is why I am here today. Recently, I learned that there were a number of traitors within our ranks. It seems that since my grandmother's death a small faction has formed. These men doubted my ability to one day take my rightful place as head of this organization. They began working for Giuseppe Salvatore. They have helped him maintain control in light of the moves Damon had been making to take over."

Hushed whispers filled the room as the men discussed who might have been a traitor. The most obvious suspects were the men not present.

"I don't know exactly when this conspiracy to unseat me began. The nearest we can tell it started about two years ago. When I first learned of their betrayal, I thought perhaps it was my fault. I have taken a hands-off approach. I was only 17-years-old when I inherited my family's business. I was dealing with my grandmother's death and my new role as Damon's wife. However, I left you all in Uncle Richie's capable hands. He has done well for this family in the role of acting boss. He has made sure that all of you are flush with cash. He worked his magic to get you better positions and territory within the Salvatore organization. Yet it still wasn't enough for some of you. I was faced with a dilemma when I found these Judases within our family. I could have them all executed for their treachery or I could show them mercy. Who could blame these men for doubting my ability to one day lead you all? Perhaps the strength and shrewdness of my great-grandmother and grandmother were merely aberrations."

Richard bit back a smile as he leaned against the wall. He saw so much of Sheila shining through Bonnie in that moment. He missed his friend dearly.

"Execution or mercy?" she repeated as if pondering her own question. Bonnie smiled cheerfully at the nervous men in front of her. "I chose execution. Freddie, Atticus, Tripp, Charlie, and John fucking Gilbert betrayed us all. They died for that betrayal."

Her words smothered every sound in the room for a few seconds before hushed conversations erupted. Bonnie sat on the edge of the table and opened her purse. She retrieved the hand carved box that Lucy had given her in the car. Then she removed the slender silver item from the box and discreetly slid it up the sleeve of her jacket while everyone was distracted. Lucy wasn't the only Benedetto versed in sleight of hand.

Tyler, Brady, and Lucy all moved into position and waited for her signal.

Bonnie stood and began walking as if she were merely pacing. "I appreciate everyone that remained steadfast in their duty to this family. I understand now that my absence made some of you skittish. You swore your allegiance to the Benedetto family and a Benedetto will be at the helm once more. I have already informed Damon that I will be taking over the smuggling operation. My dear cousins from Milazzo will be helping me run things until I get the hang of it. However, make no mistake, you all answer to me now. As you all know, Giuseppe has a one-way ticket to hell. That is also courtesy of yours truly. I gave my husband the ammunition he needed to whack the old bastard. I gave him proof that the mob war in the 80's started because Giuseppe needed a way to hide his crimes. He shed the blood of his own people…of our people just to kill Domenico. Alas, my husband seems to be a little inept when it comes to finding his father. Fortunately, he and I are not cut from the same cloth. I suppose it is because I don't spend quite so much time chasing after whores."

Bonnie stopped behind a man's chair. In the blink of an eye, the antique ice pick slid from inside the sleeve of Bonnie's jacket and into her hand. She gripped the beveled silver handle and rammed the ice pick into the man's carotid artery with all her might.

Jacob's large hands grabbed his throat immediately. However, it was much too late for that.

Bonnie wrenched the ice pick out of the man's neck and watched as his blood came pouring out.

Suddenly three suppressed shots rang out in the room and then three bodies promptly tumbled to the floor.

Most of the men quickly got to their feet unsure of what was happening. The fear in the room was suffocating as they realized all the exits were covered by armed men.

Bonnie took an unnerving amount of pleasure from their fear.

The young woman casually walked to the front of the room and placed the bloody antique on the table. She said, "I am sorry for the theatrics. We just had some unfinished business to take care of this afternoon. I found out very late last night that Giuseppe Salvatore has been smuggled back into the country. The four men that we just killed are the ones that helped him. Now as far as I know every traitor in our family has been executed. We can breathe a little easier and sleep a little better at night."

Bonnie used a packet of wet wipes to clean Jacob's blood from her hand. She tilted her head to the side and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Or perhaps there are more of you hiding in our ranks. If you have betrayed me and it has remained undetected…I urge you to go home, get on your knees, and thank God for his mercy because you would have received none from me. Then I want you to rededicate yourself to this family and our mission because I will not be this lenient in the future. The next time someone betrays me I will burn their fucking lives to the ground before I give them something as sweet as death!"

She sat on the table and meticulously cleaned the ice pick. She waved a hand in Richard's direction.

The older man cleared his throat and stepped in front of the room once more. "You may all leave. I am sure some of you would like to speak with the boss in light of all that has transpired here. However, you will have to schedule a time for that through me. She has a few slots open tomorrow afternoon. She'll be taking visitors at my horse farm upstate."

The men began slowly streaming out of the warehouse having been threatened and subsequently dismissed by a girl that barely stood 5'2".

Soon only members of the Benedetto and Lockwood families remained in the warehouse. The doors were barred and the clean up process began.

Bonnie returned the ice pick to its box and placed it into her purse. She turned her attention to Richard and asked, "Have you heard from Uncle Bobby?"

Robert Donovan was Matt's grandfather and one of Bonnie's staunchest supporters. She trusted him as much as she trusted Richard. Therefore, she had given him a task of the utmost importance.

Richard nodded. "He's got a good lead on Giuseppe's location. We think he is hiding out in the valley with the boy. What do you want to do when we find him?"

She was quiet for a moment before she answered, "Gift wrap him for Damon. I want to know if his inability to find Giuseppe has been incompetence or sentimentality. We will react accordingly based on my husband's actions. Also, make sure the child isn't harmed in all of this."

"We've taken the proper precautions to take Giuseppe without a gunfight. We will retrieve Victor without incident."

"Good," Bonnie said.


	42. Nearly Drove Me Out of My Head

Bonnie stared out the car's window as it cruised down the 405 freeway. She was on her way to Velocita's corporate offices located in Los Angeles. It was time for her to face Damon. Bonnie had successfully ignored all her husband's attempts to communicate with her for well over 24 hours. Fortunately, he had been smart enough to realize that showing up at Abby's house uninvited would be ill advised. The girl's cousins were still looking for a reason to whoop his disrespectful ass. Bonnie had convinced Cesare to give Damon a pass for his outburst at the club. However, she would not be able to hold off her cousins if he crossed the line with her a second time. She was still trying to figure out a way to keep her uncle from doing more than 'taxing' Damon for his duplicity while in Milazzo.

Bonnie glanced at her phone to check the time. It was just after 4 o'clock in the afternoon but she was already exhausted. Her day had started before dawn. Bonnie had flown to Mendocino County with a small group of family members and business associates. They had set up shop at the Lockwood Family's sprawling horse farm. After the show of force yesterday, Richard had been swamped with requests for sit down meetings with Bonnie. The young woman tried to accommodate as many requests as she could in a six-hour window. Bonnie had too many irons in the fire to stay away from home for too long. She thought that the meetings had been largely a success. The men had all addressed her with the deference befitting her position as boss. They wanted to reaffirm their allegiance to Bonnie and offer their assistance with apprehending Giuseppe. However, she politely declined their offers because that was already in the works.

While Bonnie was conducting business, Sarah and Lucy were exploring the property. The farm's manager, Derek, had acted as their tour guide and instructor. It was just a beginner's class. Sarah learned about the nature of horses and how to interact with them safely. She had soaked up all the information like a sponge. Over lunch, Sarah had excitedly relayed all the information she had learned. However, the true surprise came when Bonnie allowed the little girl to choose a horse as her Christmas gift. Bonnie ended up buying two Arabian mares. In a few days, one of Derek's most trusted farmhand's would drive the horses to a boarding facility near Bonnie's beach house.

They flew back to Los Angeles shortly after 1 o'clock because Bonnie wanted to meet with Damon before he left work. She figured a semi public location was the best place to reiterate her desire for a divorce. Bonnie had even contacted her legal team for the name of a mediator. She did not intend to follow through with the divorce proceedings. Bonnie and Damon were stronger while married even if she despised him now. The success of their business would always come before her happiness. Bonnie just needed the right ammunition to force Damon out of his position as CEO. She would string out the threat of divorce long enough to make him believe that she was serious. Then Bonnie would blindside him with a boardroom coup that would place Ayana in the company's top seat. She planned to secure his cooperation by promising to halt the divorce proceedings. It was manipulative. Some people might even accuse Bonnie of being cruel. The young woman didn't care what anyone thought of her as long as she received what she was owed.

She was not looking forward to having this conversation with Damon. The fire in her belly had died down since Saturday night. Now she just felt cold inside. Bonnie didn't have enough emotional capital available to enjoy hurting him. Her only desire was securing her children's future. They deserved a better life than she had. However, Bonnie wasn't naïve enough to believe that her plan would go off without a hitch. Damon was not the type of man that often had his desires denied. Whereas he had taken the separation in stride, he would most assuredly fight against the divorce. She was prepared for whatever his reaction might be.

In the beginning, she planned to take Matt as her sole bodyguard since he was on duty. However, Abby rejected that idea immediately. She feared that Damon's reaction would force Matthew to reveal his allegiance to the Benedetto Family. He would not stand by if the mob boss violently lashed out at Bonnie. The young woman did not believe that her husband would strike her but there was nothing to gain from taking an unnecessary risk. She had called her older cousin, Gemma, and asked if she would accompany her. She trusted Gemma to keep her safe if a dangerous situation arose. Men often discounted the curvaceous brunette because of her petite size and exotic beauty. Few would guess that Big John's granddaughter was also one of his most trusted assassins.

Bonnie also chose Gemma because of her sensibilities. There was a certain talent required when managing an angry man. It was best to let men have their temper tantrums. Often they exhausted themselves by doing little more than hurling insults and making grave, but ultimately hollow, threats. The key was ensuring that the situation did not escalate beyond words. Bonnie knew without a doubt that bringing one of their male cousins would have been a recipe for disaster. They would not have cared one iota about witnesses or the fallout from their actions. The Benedettos no longer found Bonnie's marriage to Damon merely distasteful. Now they held a genuine concern for her safety. Cesare had made it clear that he thought a divorce was warranted. Giuseppe had violated one of the fundamental clauses in Damon and Bonnie's prenuptial agreement.

Matt entered the parking garage and drove up to the executive level. He drove around for a minute before finding a space near the elevator. After he turned off the car, the blonde mobster looked at Bonnie with concern. Matt and Tyler were both worried about her plan. In fact, his friend was on the verge of a nervous breakdown via text message. He asked, "Are you sure you want me wait outside Damon's office?"

Bonnie gave her make up one last look and then put away her compact. "Yes, I am sure. You and Gemma will be right outside the office if anything happens. My mother was right to be concerned about blowing your cover. I don't want Damon getting suspicious of you. Even if it didn't occur to him that you are disloyal to his family, he might think that you have some romantic interest in me. You don't need those kinds of problems. It is bad enough that he suspects Tyler."

He frowned and said, "For the record, I would just like to say that this makes me extremely uncomfortable."

Gemma pulled her long chocolate brown hair into a simple ponytail. Her dark brown eyes narrowed as she said, "I'm not worried. It is not as if you are about to walk into his office unarmed. Right?"

"The day I confront an angry man without a weapon is the day I fucking retire," she replied as she tugged at the material of her v-neck sweater dress. "I have a switchblade in my bra for emergencies."

The older woman smiled and said, "Then I am not worried. Besides, I have a pistola with me just in case Damon allows his emotions to get the better of him. I should think a slug to the fleshy part of his ass would calm him."

Bonnie looked at Matt and asked, "Do you feel any better?"

"No," he deadpanned.

She chuckled and patted his arm. "No risk, no reward, Mattie."

Matt shook his head but smiled wryly. "I just want you to know that Tyler is going to kick my ass if Damon so much as touches a hair on your head. He's been threatening me for the last 30 minutes."

The green-eyed girl bit her bottom lip as she thought about last night. After Sarah was asleep, Bonnie and Tyler had spent a couple hours curled up in bed together. They had only cuddled while binge watching a handful of _Luke Cage_ episodes on Netflix. However, it had been just what the doctor ordered to put Damon out of her mind. She giggled and said, "I'll protect you from him."

Matt grumbled good-naturedly as he got out of the car. He opened Gemma's door first.

"Grazie," she said.

"Prego," he replied. Matt looked at her curiously because he didn't see where she could be stashing her gun.

Gemma smiled as if she had read his mind. She patted her thigh to draw his attention to her thigh holster. Then she walked over to the elevator.

His cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he closed her door. Then he walked around to the other side of the car and opened the door for Bonnie.

She climbed out of the SUV and said, "Thank you, Matt."

The two friends joined Gemma at the elevator just as the doors opened.

Bonnie slipped into the elevator car first and retrieved a security card from her purse. She swiped it over a card reader and a green light flashed in response. Then she selected the floor where the senior management's offices were located. She asked, "Do you know if he is almost done?"

She had entrusted Tyler with the task of framing Giuseppe for the four murders she ordered yesterday. She had instructed Richard to give his son whatever resources and men he deemed necessary to finish the job. In a few hours, Damon would receive a text message from a burner phone directing him to the staged dumpsite.

Matt nodded and said, "Nearly done. He's just waiting for nightfall."

Bonnie relaxed somewhat. She had full faith in Tyler. However, he had never supervised a job of this size. Tyler and his men had spent the better part of the morning scrubbing the four corpses to rid them of any DNA or trace evidence. Around lunchtime, they had transported the bodies to a safe house on the outskirts of San Diego. The final touch would be dousing the seldom-used structure with a high-grade accelerant. They needed something that would burn at an ungodly temperature. It would help eliminate the chance of forensics finding any evidence and it would prevent the firefighters from trying to enter the house to save men that were already dead. However, the most important part was linking this hit with the one Giuseppe had orchestrated in France.

While Tyler certainly played an important role, Matt's grandfather was responsible for the coup de grace. Robert, or Senior as he was known within the organization, was hot on Giuseppe's trail. He had been using a burner phone they found in Jacob's possessions after his death. The traitor had been instrumental in smuggling Giuseppe back into the United States. Moreover, he had arranged for a place where Giuseppe could hide out until he was ready to strike against Damon.

Senior and his crew went to San Diego to confirm that Giuseppe was hiding at a massage parlor. The Salvatore organization had used the establishment to launder a percentage of their money for over twenty years. The parlor always turned an impressive profit because of its proximity to the naval base. When Senior went to check out the parlor, he found a note on the door announcing that it would be closed until after Christmas. Senior felt certain that they had located Giuseppe. The plan was to abduct the old man tonight. However, Bonnie had given her blessing to kill the psychopath if they couldn't pry him out of the building without risking their own lives. She would not allow a repeat of the debacle in France to happen on her watch.

The young woman squared her shoulders as she walked out of the elevator and made a beeline for her husband's office. She stopped at his secretary's desk and flashed a pretty smile.

Dianne was a Black woman in her mid-50's with a close cropped afro. She had worked her way up the ladder at Velocita over the span of twenty-five years. Zacharias had handpicked her to be Damon's secretary when he became CEO. She was knowledgeable, trustworthy, and wouldn't even entertain the possibility of sleeping with his promiscuous nephew.

The older woman quickly hid her surprise when she saw Bonnie approaching her desk. She got to her feet and greeted her warmly, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Salvatore."

Bonnie said, "Good afternoon. I've told you on several occasions that you can use my first name, Ms. Dianne."

She smiled in response. "It is nice seeing you, Bonnie. It has been quite a while since I last saw you."

"Too long," the young woman agreed.

"Is Mr. Salvatore expecting a visit from you? I didn't see anything on his calendar but he so often forgets to keep me apprised of his personal appointments," she complained.

"No, I decided to drop by on a whim because I was in the area. Is he terribly busy today?" she asked.

"No. Actually, you caught him at a good time. He just finished a meeting with the elder Mr. Salvatore. I am sure that he will be pleased to see you. Just let me get him on the phone..."

Bonnie said, "Thank you."

Gemma nodded at her younger cousin and took a seat across from the secretary's desk. She picked up a glossy promotional booklet to occupy herself while Bonnie met with Damon. Gemma's dark eyes skimmed the grandiose blurb written on the front cover. Velocita was taking credit for the engines developed by Bonnie's great-grandfather. She hoped that the company would be under new management soon enough.

Matt sat in the chair beside Gemma. However, he would move closer to the door once Bonnie was inside the office. He needed to be able to hear if Bonnie needed their help.

Suddenly, Damon's office doors opened. He took a moment to appreciate Bonnie's appearance. She looked beautiful as usual but this felt different somehow. He grinned and said, "Well, this is a pleasant surprise."

Bonnie feigned a smile and said, "I hope I am not interrupting anything important."

"I always have time to see you, Bunny. I am glad that you are here." Damon looked at his secretary and said, "Hold all of my calls, Dianne."

"Yes, Mr. Salvatore."

Damon beckoned Bonnie into the office but his smile faltered when he saw Gemma sitting there. He knew it wasn't a coincidence that Bonnie had brought a cousin that specialized in wetwork for their family. He closed the doors once they were inside and motioned to the couch. "We will be more comfortable over here."

However, the truth was that he merely wanted to sit close to his wife. The comfortable leather chairs in front of his desk were placed too far apart for his liking. Damon had been driving himself crazy since Saturday night. More than once, Zach had prevented Damon from going to Abby's house. His uncle hadn't told him anything that he didn't already know. He just longed to see Bonnie. He needed to make things right with her. Damon was grateful to have the opportunity to do that now.

Bonnie nodded as she sat on the couch. She placed her purse on the table and crossed her legs. "I promise that I won't take up too much of your time, Damon. I am sure that you are busy. I know the end of the fiscal year is right around the corner for Velocita."

Damon sat beside Bonnie. His eyes lingered on the suede thigh high boots she was wearing. He longed to run his fingers over the smooth caramel skin exposed when her dress rode up. However, he wasn't egotistical enough to think that Bonnie would want to be touched by him after how he acted at the nightclub. "You can have as much of my time as you want. I don't usually have many appointments this close to quitting time. How are you feeling?"

She said, "I am doing better each day. The anti-nausea medication has been working like a charm. That is good news because I can't stop eating lately. It feels as if I am always hungry. Fortunately, Mama and the nutritionist have been working together to figure out a menu that considers my high blood pressure. Mama has actually started making prepared meals for me. That way I can grab a healthy meal or snack from the refrigerator whenever the mood strikes me."

"That's great news. I am glad that your health is improving. I have been worried about you and the babies. Is your appointment with Dr. Huerta on Wednesday still?" he asked.

Bonnie nodded. She had forgotten about inviting Damon last week. She really wished that she could rescind that invitation. Bonnie didn't want the bad vibes between them to ruin what should be an amazing moment for her. "Did you still want to come with me?"

He nodded. "Yes. I can pick you up from Abby's house if you'd like."

"No, that won't be necessary. I have plans after my appointment. My cousin Remy and his wife want my help house hunting," the girl explained.

Damon bit back an unkind retort. He wasn't thrilled to learn that Big John's grandchildren were putting down semi-permanent roots in Southern California. His hope of retaining possession of the smuggling operation was evaporating. Damon didn't think Bonnie would be capable of running the operation as a young mother of three. However, having her cousins to pick up the slack guaranteed she wouldn't need Damon's help.

"How is Sarah?"

She smiled. "Sarah is great. She is at home right now with my mother."

"Why didn't you bring her along? I would have loved to have seen Sarah today."

"Oh, I'm sorry. There is no way that I would have been able to pry her out of that house. Jamie and Cooper were in the middle of making the biggest blanket fort I have ever seen. Sarah decided to rename it Princess Sarah Alessandra's Castle."

He chuckled quietly and shook his head. "And Cooper didn't mind Sarah converting his fort into a castle?"

"My baby brother pretty much does whatever Sarah wants to do. He is a very good uncle despite only being a year and change older than his niece is. Anyway, she was a little too rambunctious to bring to your office this afternoon. She is over the moon because I bought a horse for her today."

He stared at Bonnie in disbelief for a second because he couldn't have possibly heard her right. He asked, "You bought Sarah a horse without talking to me first?"

"We've talked about letting her learn how to ride. I didn't think that you would mind, Damon," she explained.

"I know that we've talked about it. I just thought she would be a little older," he said.

Damon wasn't even sure that he was ready for Sarah to ride a bike without training wheels-let alone a horse. He didn't particularly like to think of his little girl growing up. As Sarah grew older, it would become more difficult to protect her from reality. Damon was dreading the day when his daughter realized what he really did for a living. He had witnessed Ric lie poorly when his girls asked about the rumors.

"Grams bought my first horse when I was six-years-old. Sarah's birthday is coming up in a few months. She has a lot to learn between now and then. I will make sure that she has proper instruction of course. I bought the horse now because I want them to form a bond first."

"Are you sure that she is ready for this?" he asked.

Bonnie smiled. "Sarah is definitely ready for riding lessons, Damon. However, if it will make you feel better, you can sit in on the interview process for her riding instructor."

Damon relaxed a little. "I would like that. Where did you even find horses for sale around here?"

"Sarah and I went up to the Lockwood's horse farm with Lexi. I bought two amazing Arabian mares. I want to start riding again after the twins are born."

He shook his head and then chuckled. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am serious. I grew up on a vineyard in the middle of nowhere. I miss riding," she replied with a laugh.

Damon smiled fondly at Bonnie and gently grasped her hand. "Sometimes I forget that I married a country girl."

Bonnie cleared her throat and slid her hand out of his grip. She said, "There is another reason that I didn't bring Sarah with me. I wanted to talk about what happened Saturday night at the club."

Damon licked his lips nervously. He had suspected that was the true reason behind Bonnie's visit. He had a full day to compose a worthy apology but nothing seemed adequate. Damon had decided sometime last night just to be honest with Bonnie. He said, "I am sorry for the way I behaved Saturday night. I was out of line and jealous. I also wasn't in a very good place at the time. I am not trying to make excuses for myself. But I would like an opportunity to explain what was going on with me that night."

It took a herculean effort not to sigh as Damon spewed absolute bullshit. In a tight voice, she said, "You and Stefan already told me that you were drunk."

He shook his head. "I was drunk but it was more than that, Bunny. By the time I made it to the Klaus' club, I had already done several lines of cocaine. Everything mixing in my system turned me into a complete and utter asshole. I would have never spoken to you that way if I weren't under the influence."

Bonnie's blood chilled in her veins when she heard his confession. The lighting in the club had been too dim for her to get a good look at Damon's eyes. However, his uncharacteristic outburst made more sense now. She didn't doubt that he meant his vicious insults but sober Damon would have tried to discourage her behavior with flattery and a gentle rebuke. He preferred to manipulate Bonnie rather than humiliate her.

The girl was bombarded with memories from the early days of their marriage. Damon would stumble in drunk or high but usually both. They would have some clumsy interlude that Damon surely thought was foreplay before he climbed on top of her. Bonnie would stare at him terrified that if she closed her eyes for even a moment that memories of Niklaus would resurface. She hadn't been able to cope and finally asked him to cut back on the cocaine. Bonnie hadn't understood it at the time but Damon's drug use was a trigger for her.

"You told me that you weren't doing that anymore. You promised," she declared in a shaky voice.

"I know that I promised I would quit and I did. You know that I did, but I have been under a lot of pressure with everything that is going on with Giuseppe. You and I have been having problems and it was easy to fall into old habits," he explained.

"So this is my fault?" she asked incredulously.

Damon shook his head. "No, that is not what I am saying, Bunny. No one is at fault but me. I made the decision to get high. I am the one that acted like an asshole. I just want you to understand what was really happening with me that night. I thought that you deserved the truth."

Bonnie stood up because she wanted to put space between the two of them. She had an overwhelming urge to use the decorative glass sphere on the coffee table to bash in his skull. "How many times has this happened, Damon? Don't tell me that this was a one-time occurrence because we both know that you can't stop at just once."

He took a deep breath and said, "It's been a few times. I have it under control. It won't happen again."

"How am I supposed to believe anything you say to me? You swore that you gave it up for Sarah and me. You said that we were worth more to you than a temporary high. I want a real answer, Damon! How long have you been using again?"

Damon stood up and said, "I meant every word. It was just after seeing what Giuseppe did to you. I couldn't cope. I relapsed during my trip to Milazzo. Recovery is a lifelong process. You are the one that told me that."

"Is that really your excuse, Damon? You couldn't cope with your father's attack on me. I am the one that he beat black and blue. I am the one that he tried to rape in our bedroom. For weeks, I had to look at the bruises his fingers left on my thighs when he pried them apart. I am the one that had nightmares about it. Somehow, I managed to survive without turning to drugs and alcohol," she spat out bitterly.

The raven-haired mobster felt like something at the bottom of someone's shoe. He couldn't even think of a worthwhile rebuttal.

Bonnie took a deep cleansing breath because she was at the end of her rope. She said, "I am tired of dealing with you, Damon. You and all of your bullshit exhaust me. I don't want to do this anymore. I came here to tell you that I was serious about wanting a divorce. It looks as if I made the right decision. I don't care why you relapsed. You can blame my trauma and me if it helps you sleep better at night. I just want you to promise not to use when Sarah visits you. If I find out that you are high around her, the shared custody idea goes out the window. I won't spend my time worrying about my daughter's safety when she is with you."

Damon felt as if his brain stopped working for a long moment as Bonnie ranted at him. He had hoped that the divorce talk would have blown over by now. The separation was hard enough on Damon. He didn't like waking up without Bonnie by his side. He had only agreed to the separation in hopes that he could win her back. However, a divorce would be the final nail in the coffin. "No," he said with an edge to his voice.

"Excuse me?"

"You aren't fucking hard of hearing, Bonnie. I am sorry for the relapse. You are right I am responsible for my own behavior and I will sort that shit out. I will talk to the counselor about it. But we are not getting a divorce. We are Catholic for God's sake. Isn't divorce a mortal sin?"

Bonnie placed a hand on her stomach and gave a hearty laugh. "You want to talk to me about mortal sins? How many women have you fucked since we have been married? Adultery is a mortal sin, too. So is murder. When is the last time that you even went to church or gave confession? I was there Sunday morning with our daughter. Where were you? Were you playing happy families with your mistress and your other daughter?"

He tensed because that was exactly where he had spent his Sunday morning. Once again, it felt as if his wife had him equipped with GPS. He was beginning to think that it might be a good idea to have Enzo look into the situation. Damon walked up to Bonnie so that they were face to face. He cupped her cheek. "I know that you are angry. I know that I have done many things to hurt you. I can't take any of them back but I can work on being better. You can't expect me to just give up on our family."

"You are only talking about being better because I don't want to deal with you anymore. Maybe I was wrong for never speaking up about how you made me feel. But Saturday night really opened my eyes. If I don't do exactly what you want then you call me a slut and a whore. What comes next? Are you going to slap me around like your old man? We can repeat the fucked up history of my grandmother and your father. He would backhand her and she would pick up the closest thing to whack him over the head. Or there's the time that he shoved her down the fucking stairs and she almost landed on me. She grabbed a knife and sliced his arm open like a sausage. Is that what you want for our kids? Do you want to them to see mommy and daddy trying to kill each other? Because that's where this is headed. I refuse to raise our children in an environment where our daughters learn to be punching bags and our sons become abusers."

He swallowed thickly and shook his head. Last week, Damon had overheard Abby and Bonnie talking about the violence they had witnessed in their respective childhoods. However, she had never been this honest with him about her past. It was jarring to see just how broken Bonnie was underneath the mask she had perfected. He had this uncomfortable feeling that this was only the surface. "Jesus. They were really like that with each other?"

She nodded. "Giuseppe and Grams loved each other just as much as they hated each other. They were insane. They forced me to watch their insanity. I don't want that for our kids."

"I would never hit you, Bonnie," he swore.

Bonnie gave a broken laugh. "How am I supposed to believe anything that comes out of your mouth? I only asked you for one thing in our marriage. I asked you to stop doing cocaine because I hated it. I hated what it did to you. I hated the person you became when you were high. I couldn't stomach the idea of another drunken drugged up asshole crawling on top of me to take what didn't belong to them."

He swallowed thickly as he tried to parse out Bonnie's last sentence. It felt as if Damon's heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach. He asked, "Are you saying that I have done that to you?"

The girl realized that she had said too much in anger. She said, "I am done with this conversation, Damon. I am done with you. Being married to you is going to drive me insane."

He moved in front of Bonnie as she tried to leave the office. "Are you saying that I have forced you in the past while I was high?"

"Get out of my way," she ordered in a hardened voice.

Damon said, "Not until you answer my fucking question. Did I hurt you?"

"I don't owe you anything! I certainly don't owe you this. I am not here to assuage your fears. Stop being a fucking alcoholic cokehead and you wouldn't need to ask if you've ever raped your wife. You would know," Bonnie sneered.

She used her shoulder to force a stunned Damon out of her way as she stormed out of his office. Her heart was racing. She had gotten so close to mentioning Klaus' name. Damon had thrown her for a loop by admitting to using cocaine again.

Gemma and Matt fell into step behind Bonnie as she walked to the elevator with a sense of urgency.

She wanted to get as far away from Damon as possible. Bonnie jabbed her finger against the elevator call button rapidly until the doors opened.

Everyone remained perfectly quiet as the elevator returned to the parking garage. Matt led the way to the car and opened Bonnie's door for her.

Gemma turned to face the younger girl once everyone was safely in the car. "What happened?"

"I fucked up," Bonnie muttered.

Matt swallowed thickly from the front seat. "What's the damage, Bon? What do we need to do to fix this?"

She looked up at their worried faces and shook her head. "It's nothing that will blowback on anyone but me. I can spin this somehow. I'll handle it."

Gemma noticed that both of Bonnie's hands were shaking. She scooted closer to Bonnie and gently took her hands. "Take a deep breath for me."

Bonnie shook her head. "I'm fine…"

"You are about to hyperventilate," Gemma murmured softly.

The girl clenched her fists as tight as she could to dig her nails into the palms of her hands. Bonnie focused on that fresh wave of pain to ground her.

Matt decided it was time to get the hell away from Velocita before Damon came looking for Bonnie. He started the car and hightailed it out of the parking garage.


	43. Protect Ya Neck: Part 1

A/N: I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for being so dedicated to the story. I appreciate all the reviews, follows, and favorites. We've passed the 600 mark for reviews! Knowing that so many people enjoy this story keeps me motivated.

I have been seeing some recurring themes in the reviews and I wanted to address them. I love that everyone is so invested in this story. Please, don't think that I am playing the bait and switch game with you all. I love answering questions about the story. You can message me directly via PM. Or you can leave your questions in an review and I will try to address it in my author's note.

Q#1: Is this a Bamon story?

A: Yes, this is a Bamon story. Bonnie and Damon are the end game but it will be a long road.

Q#2: If this is a Bamon story, then why is Bonnie flirting with Tyler?

A: Bonnie is in a toxic marriage. She wants attention from someone that shows her love and respect. She and Tyler are good friends and they love each other. In time, they will have to figure out if it is a romantic love or something else. It does not mean that her actions are right but that is the situation.

Q#3: Who is the bad guy in this story?

A: Literally, all of the characters we spend the most time with have villainous ways. Damon has mistreated Bonnie but she is a liar, manipulator, and killer. Some of the problems in their marriage stem from her refusal to be honest with Damon (no matter her motivations). The children are the only truly innocent bystanders in this story.

Q#4: When are Damon and Bonnie going to get back together?

A: I don't have an exact chapter in mind but it won't be very soon. My plan for this story was always to destroy their poisonous relationship built on lies and rebuild something healthier. They are very close to rock bottom and soon the gradual rebuild will begin.

Q#5: Why do Bonnie and Damon love one another at all?

A: They were essentially family before the marriage. There was always love there. However, falling in love is a very different subject and will be covered extensively in the rebuilding phase of the story. Because there is a moment when both of these people fell in love with the other.

* * *

The air in the study felt thick and rancid. All four of the Salvatore men sat around the room in an uncomfortable silence. Damon had called them all together to talk about Giuseppe. However, the conversation was derailed because he couldn't wrap his head around what happened between him and Bonnie. Her words had haunted him for the last few hours. He wanted to feel confident in his innocence. Damon had never been the sort of man to force himself on a woman. Yet there was some small part of him that instinctively knew her reaction had not been for show. Bonnie had scars both old and new that still caused her pain. Somehow, Damon had been unable to see the suffering in a girl he had been married to four years. He didn't know if Bonnie was truly a talented actress or if he had ignored the cracks in her facade.

Stefan shook his head. "You must have misunderstood her, Damon. I have witnessed all your worst impulses. I have seen you stoned out of your gourd and never once did I see anything that would suggest you were a sexual predator. You used to sidestep the girls my age that threw themselves at you. Valerie actually crawled into your bed and you sent her packing without hesitation."

Damon grimaced because he still felt guilty for how it all went down. He had spent the weekend indulging in whatever substances he could get his hands on: cocaine, pills, marijuana. He had passed out in his bedroom only to wake up with his cock in someone's mouth. It had taken Damon a few minutes to work out what was happening. However, once he was lucid, he tossed Valerie out on her ass and made Stefan break up with her. Caroline was probably the only girl Stefan brought home that didn't want to jump Damon's bones. She disliked him instantly and he had been grateful for that.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. "All of that might be true but you didn't see how Bonnie looked at me. She looked traumatized."

Ric stood near the window with a glass of scotch in his hand. "I don't think that we should be rushing to any conclusions. One of us almost got shot in the face recently because of some vague accusations made by a vengeful cunt. I'm talking about me and Lilly in case any of you are confused."

Zach rolled his eyes at Ric's bitter interjection. He was only complaining because the rest of his life had gone to shit. Jo wasn't speaking to him. Abby wasn't speaking to him. Ric was crashing at the Manor because he wasn't welcome at either of the homes he had bought. Out of his children, only Cooper and Savannah were interested in seeing him. They were too young to hold any ill will against him. However, Cooper wouldn't remain in the dark forever. He had questioned why Jamie didn't want to join them for lunch that afternoon.

Stefan glared at Ric for a long moment but decided not to get into an argument about his mother now. Damon needed to be their primary focus because he seemed close to spiraling out of control. His brother was never going to be a good man. It just wasn't in the cards and everyone had accepted that fact long ago. However, Damon had tried his best not to become Giuseppe. The outline for that was fairly simple: don't abuse women, don't abuse children, and don't rape anyone. Damon thought he was doing a good job until recently. The younger man sat down beside his brother and searched for the right words but he felt lost. As much as he loved Damon, he was worried about Bonnie, too. She was his friend and his sister. He never cared for using 'in-law' to describe her. It felt like a qualifier where none was necessary. She would always be his 'Bunny'.

Zach said, "My drunken older brother is an asshole but he isn't wrong. You admitted that the conversation between you and Bonnie was tense. She was yelling at you and visibly upset. You were confused and caught off guard by her reaction. Is that a fair assessment?"

Damon nodded, "I figured that Bonnie wouldn't be happy. She has made it clear how she feels about me using cocaine. I did not expect her to lose it the way that she did. She was angry and hurt about so many things. Bonnie even told me about how Giuseppe and Sheila used to fight in front of her. I don't think she would have admitted to that if not for how angry she was."

Ric sobered somewhat at the mention of his older brother. He shook his head. "Abby made some vague references to their relationship a couple weeks ago. It was the first time she had ever said anything about it to me. I don't know what she saw but it certainly fucked her up in the head. She claimed that watching Giuseppe and Sheila broke her. Abby said their relationship made her stay in a marriage where Rudy was throttling her. She thought that's what was expected of her."

"Sounds like it broke Bonnie, too," Damon replied in a distracted voice.

Stefan asked, "Can you blame either of them? He broke us, too. The fact that any of us are functioning adults is a triumph."

Ric scoffed because being a functioning adult wasn't exactly a high threshold. He glanced down at his second...make that third scotch in the last hour.

Zach asked, "What exactly did Bonnie say that led you to believe you raped her?"

The blue-eyed mobster went quiet for a moment as he tried to piece together the conversation. Their interaction had been so rapid fire and fraught with emotion. One moment they were talking about horses and the next Bonnie is yelling at him for being a cokehead. Damon could scarcely believe that she had actually uttered that word. Knowing that his wife viewed him in such a damning way burned him deep inside. He also couldn't blame her because Zacharias had said as much to him after they left Klaus' club early Sunday morning.

He said, "Bonnie told me that she hated the person I became when I was high. She said that she asked me to stop using because she couldn't take another addict…on top of her."

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Damon. For the first time since she had uttered those words, he was processing that statement in its entirety. He could clearly remember the shocked expression on Bonnie's face. She hadn't meant to tell him that. Damon was out of his seat in a flash.

Stefan moved faster and stood in front of the door. "Damon!"

"Move…" he growled.

Stefan shook his head and refused to budge from his position. "I know what you are thinking, Damon. I understand why you would want to rush to Bonnie's side. But you going over to Abby's house is only going to start a fight. That is if you even get through the front door. You said yourself that Gemma was with Bonnie this afternoon. How much do you want to bet that Cesare and the rest know that you two fought again?"

Damon huffed out a sarcastic laugh. "You're the last person I thought would be worried about the business. I figured that you would encourage me to put my marriage first."

"You think that is what this is about for me? I understand that the alliance with the Benedetto family is invaluable. However, I am more concerned about you being murdered. Cesare would have taken you out on Saturday night if Cristian wasn't holding him back. I saw the look in his eyes…you were a dead man. Mason already told us that Big John has it out for you because of what Giuseppe did to Bonnie. I am also worried about Bonnie. All of this stress can't be good for her pregnancy or her blood pressure."

He slowly deflated because his brother was right. He would only make matters worse by going over there tonight. Damon turned around and returned to his place on the couch. He put his head into his hands. "Do you think it was Giuseppe? He raped Katherine…"

Zach took a deep breath because his older brother had been the first suspect that came to his mind. If someone had raped Bonnie, she obviously kept it a secret. He could see why she wouldn't have felt comfortable exposing Giuseppe. She lived in a fortress where he could accost her whenever he liked. The staff certainly wouldn't come to her rescue. They knew better than to intervene in situations that had nothing to do with them. Damon would have been the only obstacle but his nephew was easily distracted by work and beautiful women.

"It is better that you don't think that way, Damon. You will talk to Bonnie and get to the bottom of this. It just won't be tonight. I also think this isn't a conversation you should have alone. The two of you seem to mix like oil and water lately. It will only turn into another fight. I think it would be wise to ask Bonnie to join you in a session with Dr. Correa. She can play referee to keep things from getting out of hand."

He gave a bitter laugh. "Bonnie is never going to agree to that. She wants a divorce. She probably doesn't want to see me again. I can't say that I blame her. If Giuseppe…God right under my nose."

Ric could feel bile rising in his throat. Abby asked him to look after her daughter and he hadn't. However, he quickly shook off those morose thoughts. "Zach is right, Damon. Nothing good will come from going down that road. All you have is a single sentence spoken in anger. You don't have context or details. A few minutes ago you were assuming that she was talking about you."

"She still might be," he muttered.

Stefan sat on the arm of the couch. "I still don't believe that, Damon. I know you. There is no way that you would have hurt Bonnie, or any woman, that way. Nevertheless, I also understand why you can't just let it go. I could talk to Bonnie. We have always been close. She might be willing to open up with me."

Damon shook his head. "No, I don't want to mess up your relationship with Bonnie by putting you in the middle of our drama. We could wind up pushing her away from the entire family. Ric is already persona non grata over there."

"Bonnie and I have always been able to be honest with one another. We have tons of secrets. If she doesn't want to talk, then I will drop the subject. I won't browbeat her for an answer," he said.

He lifted an eyebrow at his brother. "Is that right? Did she ever mention that Giuseppe abused her grandmother?"

Stefan's eyebrows furrowed as he searched for the right words. Stuck between his brother and Bonnie was an uncomfortable place to be. He had been searching for a balance since he first realized that she had a crush on Damon.

Damon's spine straightened as he stared his brother's guilty expression. "She told you?"

The younger man looked down at the expensive Persian rug beneath his feet. He said, "Bonnie told me what was going on after Sheila ended up in the hospital. Giuseppe had put her through a glass door."

Zach shook his head. He wondered, not for the first time, what kind of dirt Sheila had compiled against Giuseppe. He couldn't fathom why a woman of her power and character had tolerated his brother's abuse for years. He certainly didn't understand why she would have eagerly allowed Bonnie to marry into their dysfunctional family. Big John's grandson had to be a more trustworthy candidate.

"Why didn't you ever say anything to me?" Damon demanded.

"Bonnie asked me not to say anything to anyone. I understood that feeling. I never told anyone about the shit that happened in our house. You wouldn't want me telling Bonnie everything Giuseppe did to us. It's humiliating," Stefan answered heatedly.

He asked, "What else have you been keeping quiet about?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "I am not about to sit here and let you grill me. I am Bonnie's friend. I know things about her that friends know about each other. Maybe you should have taken the time to establish that sort of relationship with her."

Damon blew out a slow breath and shook his head. "This is all fucked up."

"Aptly put," Zach agreed.

Ric fished his phone out of his pocket when it began vibrating. He glanced at the screen and muttered, "I need to take this."

Damon nodded as his uncle left the room. He looked at Stefan. "Just ask Bonnie if she'd be willing to see Dr. Correa with me. You are a smug little asshole but you are right. I need to work on getting to know Bonnie. I can't do that if you are acting as a go between."

Stefan lifted an eyebrow at his brother.

"Yes, I understand the irony of what I am asking you to do. Do it anyway."

He nodded. "I'll go see Bonnie first thing in the morning. Caroline wanted me to take some Christmas gifts over to Abby's house anyway."

Zach said, "I've got some stuff you can take over there, too. Mer went a little crazy buying gifts for the twins. I think she is living vicariously through Bonnie since she's closed for business down there."

A bout with cervical cancer a few years ago had resulted in total a hysterectomy for Meredith. They had four boys but she had hoped for at least one girl.

Damon frowned. He had been working up to asking Bonnie to bring Sarah to the Manor for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Now everything was so topsy-turvy. He didn't even know if he would still be welcome at her doctor's appointment Wednesday morning. "Thank you."

Stefan shook his head. "We're family…that includes Bonnie. I'll help any way that I can."

Ric walked into the room with a stunned expression on his face. He closed the door and turned to look at everyone.

Zach frowned. "What is it?"

"I just got off the phone with Senior. He is pulling onto the property with Giuseppe right now. I told him to go around back. They will take him down to the cellar."

Damon stood up. "How the hell did that happen?"

Alaric shook his head. "Senior said he got a tip that Gio was hiding out at the rub and tug joint we use down in San Diego."

"What about Victor?" Damon asked.

"Got him, too." Ric replied.

Damon nodded and said, "Let's go welcome the old man home."

Stefan stood up to follow his uncles and brother to the cellar.

Damon blinked. "Where do you think you are going?"

"You can't think that I am going to sit this out," he snapped.

Ric cleared his throat. "I'm going to go meet the guys while the two of you sort Stefan out."

The blue-eyed mobster placed both hands on his brother's shoulders. "You have stepped up big time for the family. I am proud of the way you handled the medical examiner's office after John died. I am going to give you more responsibility but you don't need to be part of this. It's going to get bloody very quickly."

"Don't talk to me like I am freaking idiot, Damon. I know what you plan to do to Giuseppe and he deserves every bit of it. I need to be there to see it. It is the closest that any of us will ever get to justice. You don't get to deny me that. I know that I didn't get the worst of it. But I told you before…he fucked me up, too. I mean I was ready to kill our uncle because I thought he was just like Giuseppe. I couldn't imagine letting another monster like that live."

Damon looked at Zach for some type of help.

Zach said, "I think that Stefan is old enough to make his own decisions. He is not bound to the room. If the scene becomes too gruesome, he can take his leave. I think that we all have a need to see this through. Gio left scars on all of us. Maybe Stefan's don't take the shape of cigarette burns like the two of us but…he has them, too."

Damon shook his head. He didn't think this was a good idea. However, he couldn't continue to coddle Stefan. His brother wanted to grow up, Damon had to let him. "Fine…"

Stefan said, "Thanks."

He watched his brother walk out of the room. Damon turned to his uncle. "If this fucks him up…you're going to clean this up."

"That's fair…" Zacharias agreed.

The two men headed downstairs. The cellar had the same footprint as the rest of the house. The massive space was divided into three areas: wine cellar, workroom, and an armory. However, the 'workroom' would put some medieval torture chambers to shame. Damon's great-grandfather had designed the room. He was the type of man that liked being close to his family. Therefore, he often brought his work home with him. He built a room that was soundproof and easy to clean. There were also meat hooks in the room because he was a sadistic bastard that liked to slowly bleed his enemies dry like pigs in an abattoir.

Robert Sr and Ric were standing outside of the workroom talking quietly.

Damon shook the older man's hand. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure. It is time for a regime change. My grandson, Lucky, could have been killed when he pulled that stunt last week," he said with a sneer.

Zacharias said, "I am glad that he is okay.

"He walked away with minor smoke inhalation, right?" Damon asked.

The new boss of the family had made it his mission to speak with each of the injured men and their families. However, the hardest had been meeting with the families of the men Giuseppe had killed. Damon hated that he ever let the monster remain at the helm for as long as he did. He should have realized earlier that it was always going to end this way.

"Not everyone was so fortunate," Senior replied in a somber voice.

Damon assured him, "Giuseppe will pay dearly for the lives he took and the people he has hurt. He will not go easily."

Senior nodded in acknowledgement. He would relay that information to Bonnie once he left the manor. She had been concerned that Damon's complicated relationship with Giuseppe would prevent him from doing what was necessary. The young head of their family would be pleased to learn that her fears were unwarranted.

"How did this all happen?" Damon asked curiously.

"One of my guys went by the massage parlor and found it closed. Nothing but a note on the door saying that management had a family emergency. He got suspicious and called me. I went down there to check things out in person. Didn't know who I could trust after how things went down last time. I poked around and figured out that Giuseppe was definitely in town because one of our safe houses went up in flames about two hours ago."

Damon frowned at the mention of the safe house. He was immediately concerned that they would have more dead on their hands. "Why would he torch a safe house? Do you know if anyone was inside?"

"There were cars parked outside. Cops and firefighters had the place surrounded. We couldn't stick around to see any license plate numbers. My guess…your old man whacked whoever helped smuggle him into the country. I decided that we had to move fast. I didn't know how long Giuseppe would stick around."

Damon looked at his younger brother. "Who do we have in the PD down there?"

Stefan said, "I don't know off the top of my head. I do know that the head medical examiner works for us. She helped take care of the thing with Kai last year."

Kai had gone a little overboard on a job last year. They had to move swiftly to cover his tracks with the police. The medical examiner's office had been instrumental in that.

"Then let her know that we'll be needing her services again. Also, find out who we have in homicide or major crimes."

"I'll take care of that right now." he replied. Stefan turned around and jogged upstairs. He would need access to the ledger on his computer. The system was heavily encrypted. Moreover, the information was coded using a cipher his great-uncle Bruno had taught him. The ledger was useless without the key.

A younger man walked into the hallway. "The kid is starting to wake up. What should we do?"

Senior looked at Damon. "The boy is still out in the car. He was already asleep when we made our move on Giuseppe. He didn't see anything...not that there was much to see."

"Uh, bring him to me," he said. Damon took out his phone and fired off a quick text message to Caroline.

The younger man nodded and quickly left to do as instructed.

"I'll get you the money for the bounty first thing in the morning," Damon said.

Senior said, "Thank you but I didn't do it for the money."

Bonnie would also reward Senior and his crew handsomely. She was as generous as her grandmother had been. However, he was concerned about her. He received a terse call from Tyler earlier in the evening. The young man informed him of a drastic change in plans because Damon's attention needed to be diverted elsewhere. Senior didn't question the order but he knew that Bonnie had met with Damon earlier.

"I know but your loyalty should be rewarded because it is appreciated. I know that you and my old man go back a ways. It couldn't have been easy for you to bring him here. You're like second cousins or something, right?"

Senior corrected him, "We are third cousins. Gio and I were close once but he changed after Domenico died. Or became more himself. Who the fuck knows with him?"

"Does he know what's going on?" Damon asked.

He shook his head. "We killed the power at the massage parlor. We went in wearing tactical gear, stun guns, and night vision goggles. Knocked him out with ketamine once we had him on the ground. He'll be unconscious for awhile still. I had to use something that I knew he had not built up a tolerance against."

"Good," Damon replied.

The younger man returned with the three-year-old boy wrapped in a soft yellow blanket. He was wearing a pair of Spider-Man pajamas and had blue socks on his feet. Victor had inherited their father's dark brown hair and gunmetal blue eyes. However, his skin was a rich golden brown color. Victor sucked his thumb while he looked at all the strange people.

Damon stepped forward and took the boy into his arms. He looked Victor over to ensure he wasn't injured. He trusted that Senior and his men were careful. However, he was concerned about Giuseppe having been alone with the child since last week. He was relieved to find Victor unharmed. "Thank you for getting my younger brother here safely as well."

Senior shook his head. "He's an innocent kid. He didn't deserve to get caught in the crossfire of all this. Is there any word on his mother?"

Zach said, "Nothing good. She is still touch and go. Damon had her transferred to a hospital with a top of the line burn center. They're doing all they can for Sabine."

"Nasty business…all of it," the older man muttered.

"You can say that again." He glanced at his phone when it buzzed. "I am going to take Victor upstairs to Caroline. She is going to look after him for me."

Zach said, "I'll handle everything down here until you return."

Damon walked up to the first floor and went into the living room. They would wait there for Caroline. He sat on the couch and looked down at the boy. "I guess I am pretty rude not introducing myself, huh? Our old man should have done the honors but...well he's sleeping right now. My name is Damon and I am your big brother. You've got another brother around here somewhere. His name is Stefan but he isn't as cool as I am."

Victor looked up at Damon with big blue eyes but didn't say anything.

"Not much of a talker, huh? That's okay. It has to be weird being in a new place. But you are going to like it here. I promise. There are tons of kids here that are gonna want to play with you. They've got more toys than should be legal. They're good with the whole sharing thing so you will be golden. You are gonna get so much crap for Christmas, too. Just you wait. Santa is generous around these parts. So is your big brother. Can you say Damon?"

Caroline stopped outside the living room when she heard Damon talking. She shook her head with a wry smile.

Victor blinked but didn't say anything.

Damon said, "Stop lurking out there, Blondie."

She huffed. "I wasn't lurking. I just didn't want to interrupt what sounded like an important conversation."

Damon smirked and said, "Sure."

"I am going to put Victor in with Nico tonight. He can take the spare bed in his room."

"Good. I wouldn't want him alone in one of the guest rooms. Will you keep an ear out for him? I don't know if he's potty trained or...I don't know anything about him."

Caroline took Victor into her arms and pulled out the back of his pajama bottoms. "He's wearing pull-ups so he is probably potty trained during the day. Did he come with anything?"

Damon shook his head. "No. If you need anything just tell one of the guards."

She pursed her lips because they didn't really have any children in the house that were exactly Victor's age. Her and Stefan's youngest, Anthony, was nearly two years old. The rest of the children in the house were school age. "We're definitely going to need pull ups tonight. Everything else can wait until morning."

"Thank you," he said.

Caroline shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I am going to take him upstairs. I'll see if I can get him to sleep."

Damon nodded. "Text my phone if he needs anything."

She smiled. "He'll be fine big brother Damon. I have some experience taking care of Salvatore children."


	44. Protect Ya Neck: Part 2

Giuseppe's eyes snapped open but he was greeted by darkness. He immediately realized that some sort of fabric covered his face. He tested his legs and arms and found them secured by metal shackles. The older man also noticed that he had been divested of his shirt and pants. Fortunately, he was still wearing boxers. His mind was cloudy from whatever drug his assailants had used to knock him out. Giuseppe had no way of knowing how long he had been unconscious. However, his current location was the more pressing matter. He had made hundreds of enemies over the years. Any one of those men could have chosen to make a move since he was on the outs with his family. Damon had been trying to keep the rift quiet but there was chatter in the underworld. Criminals had a tendency to gossip like women if the news was juicy enough.

He would never admit this to another living soul, but Giuseppe knew this fiasco was his fault. Somehow, he had followed his father's example without even trying. The natural order of things was for the son to succeed his father. Giuseppe had known that Damon was ready to lead their family. However, the notion of retiring made him feel empty inside. He had thought about walking away from the business in the past. Giuseppe figured he and Sheila would get on a yacht and travel around the world in their golden years. Unfortunately, cancer had other plans. Once she died, he didn't know what to do with himself. A better man would have leaned on his family and lived for them. Only Giuseppe had been an abusive son of a bitch and he knew it. His brothers and sons hated him. He could see that loathing in their eyes in unguarded moments. Sometimes Giuseppe wondered if his father had seen the same look in his eyes years ago.

Giuseppe knew that his family despised him. They saw him as a demon. The boys all blamed him for the flaws in their character and their shitty lives. He wouldn't deny playing a part but they held some responsibility, too. Giuseppe didn't go around blaming Domenico for all his bad decisions. Alaric and Zacharias had placed a halo atop their deceased father's head. However, they were merely babes when he killed Domenico. They only knew him via hazy childhood memories and grandiose stories told by their biased uncles. On the other hand, Giuseppe had thirty-two arduous years to familiarize himself with the man. If they believed Giuseppe was a demon then surely Domenico was Lucifer himself.

He sat up straight in the chair when he heard a metal door open. Giuseppe listened carefully and counted at least three people enter the room—maybe more. He knew five men had descended on him at Mai's place. His assailants had hit the massage parlor with the precision of an elite military team. Giuseppe barely had a spare moment to reach for his gun before a couple hundred thousand volts of electricity had incapacitated him. He was lucky that he hadn't gone into cardiac arrest. Giuseppe's cardiologist had diagnosed him with coronary heart disease back in May. He had rejected his doctor's recommendation of a double bypass. Giuseppe would have been practically helpless during the six-week recovery period. He couldn't afford to appear weak to his enemies-those outside and inside his family.

Giuseppe realized immediately that something about all this was suspicious. His brain was finally firing on all cylinders again. Someone that didn't know about his heart condition probably would have killed him accidentally by using a stun gun with a higher voltage. The team that had descended on him had accounted for his heart condition. They used the stun gun to incapacitate him temporarily. Then they used a powerful sedative of some kind to render him unconscious. That new information narrowed down his suspect pool greatly. His medical condition was a closely guarded secret but HIPAA was no match for money and threats of violence.

He was also curious as to why these people had chosen to keep him alive. Surely, his enemies would see the benefit of killing him swiftly and disposing of the body. Rumors of the rift with Damon were circulating but he was still the boy's father. Moreover, he was still a member of the Salvatore organization. A rival group murdering him would be cause for reprisals—if only for appearance sake. No rival organization would want their fingerprints on his death. Damon would have to make an example of them. If Giuseppe was alive, it meant that his death wasn't on the agenda or this was the work of amateurs. However, the execution of his kidnapping disproved the idea of amateurism. No, he was alive because someone wanted something from him. He could work with that. Sheila always called Giuseppe a 'silver tongued devil' because he could convince people to do things not in their interest.

The older man braced himself when he heard someone stop in front of him. He could smell bourbon and cigar smoke through the fabric of the hood. One moment darkness surrounded him and the next he was blinded by a harsh fluorescent light. Giuseppe blinked rapidly in an attempt to make his eyes adjust to the swift change in brightness. He was curious about who was brazen enough to kidnap Giuseppe Salvatore. The man was a legend because of the 1980's mob war. He made the streets run red with the blood of his enemies, with Mikael's help, and confiscated their territory. However, the most impressive feat had been maintaining control of that far-reaching territory for thirty years.

Damon stepped in front of his father wearing a truly terrifying smirk. He saw a flash of fear in the older man's eyes. The look of fear was quickly replaced with something resembling cockiness. However, Damon wasn't fooled by his father's bravado. The old man had to know that he wasn't going to leave this room alive. Damon's horrific childhood was seared onto his brain like a cattle brand. No matter how happy he was, the darkness was never far behind him. He intended to pay Giuseppe back for every second of pain he had ever caused anyone in the family. Fortunately, his father had taught him how to torture a prisoner for days without killing him. There was a power that came from holding a man at the brink until he begged for death. Damon planned to make Giuseppe grovel at his feet.

The mob boss' threats died on his tongue as he realized that his own family was responsible for his abduction. He had hoped to strike against Damon first. It was the whole reason that he enlisted Jacob's crew to smuggle him back into the country. However, finding a hole in Damon's security had proved impossible. Giuseppe had decided to hide out in San Diego while he waited for his son to let down his guard. However, he should have known better. Damon was his carbon copy even if the boy refused to admit it. Neither of them would ever make the mistake of becoming complacent, because it was the easiest way to wind up dead. Damon had only apprehended him tonight because he had decided to stay somewhere suitable for Victor. Mai had been looking after the toddler for him. Giuseppe wasn't delusional enough to believe himself capable of caring for a child. He had raised four boys but he had the help of nannies and tutors.

Giuseppe looked around the room and his expression dimmed even further when he recognized his location. The bastard had brought him to his own killing room. This was the place where he had taught his brothers and Damon what it meant to be soldiers for the family. Giuseppe had never been more proud of his eldest son than the moment he slit Frankie's throat at 14-years-old. Damon hadn't vomited like Zach did during his first kill. He certainly didn't shed a tear as Alaric had done a decade earlier. His son…his heir had only asked who would get rid of the body. Giuseppe knew in that moment that he could shape his son into a cutthroat leader.

His eyes moved around the room until they fell onto Alaric, Zacharias, and Stefan. The men stood against the back wall watching their prisoner with obvious satisfaction. Even squeamish Stefan looked as if he was eager to collect his pound of flesh. Giuseppe was surprised to see his middle son in the room. Damon had fought his father on numerous occasions to protect Stefan from this life. He had never wanted his younger brother dragged into the dark depths of their business. Alaric and Zacharias had backed him all the way. They all looked at Stefan as their salvation but it was only because they ignored what was so obvious to Giuseppe. His son was a cauldron of bubbling rage. One day Stefan would prove that none of them was capable of escaping their fate. Salvatore men were born to be butchers.

He asked, "What now? Are the four of you going to kill me? You don't have the balls! None of you have the balls to kill me! You all owe everything to me. You owe me your very lives!"

Damon sat down in front of Giuseppe and stared at the older man for a moment in silence. He wanted to absorb the uneasiness in his eyes and the tense way he held his body. This wasn't the man that had terrorized his family for over 30 years. He wasn't the man that had attacked Bonnie just a month ago to provoke his son. For once in Giuseppe's miserable life, he no longer had the upper hand. It was thrilling.

Finally, he smiled and shook his head. "A quick death is not a mercy that you have earned. No, I think that you should die slowly, painfully, and with much screaming. Only when we have all had our fill of your suffering will I allow you the courtesy of begging for death."

Giuseppe hadn't expected anything less from his eldest son. However, the silent agreement from everyone else shocked him. He said, "I understand Damon's desire to kill me. I harmed his wife and it is a husband's duty to exact revenge. Although, I think he is more interested in taking my place as the head of the family. Don't think I didn't find out about your little trip to Milazzo, son. My traitorous uncles sided with you over me. What I don't understand is what do the rest of you have to gain from my death? Are you truly ready to follow Damon?"

Ric smiled at his older brother and said, "It is simple, we hate you, Gio. We have always hated you. We would have done this sooner if getting rid of you wasn't so damn complicated. You are a psychopath but people have respected you as a trustworthy leader. We have all eaten well with you at the head of our table."

Zach shook his head. "They respected you as a leader until you cut down their sons and grandsons to avoid your just desserts. Your own cousin brought you to us."

He tensed. "Who are you talking about?"

"Senior tracked you down. He probably would have steered clear of this entire mess if you hadn't nearly killed his grandson. Lucky was part of the team that you slaughtered in France."

Stefan added, "He is recovering nicely from smoke inhalation…if you care at all."

Giuseppe's jaw might have dropped if he wasn't trying to save face. He couldn't believe that Robbie had turned on him. They might have been third cousins but they had always been close. It wasn't as if he had targeted Lucky. The boy was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He swallowed the hurtful betrayal and pressed forward. "And killing me now is less complicated somehow? I still have allies in this family. They will rise up and rebel if you kill me now."

"You overestimate your importance and likability, Gio. That has always been your problem," Zach said in a scathing tone.

Alaric replied, "Besides, Damon is finally old enough to take his rightful place as your heir. He has the respect and the loyalty of our people on both sides of the Atlantic. Damon has also secured the support of our two greatest allies John Benedetto and Elijah Mikaelson. However, the pièce de résistance is the fact that you murdered our father and Zacharias' mother. The highest-ranking members of our organization know the truth now and they support Damon wholeheartedly. There will be no backlash. You will be forgotten as soon as your funeral ends."

"Memorial," Stefan quipped. "We're having you cremated. Damon thought it was only proper to dump your ashes in the same place where you killed our grandfather."

Giuseppe's blood ran cold as he looked at their faces. They knew the truth but he couldn't understand how that was even possible. "You would listen to these lies about the man who raised you all? Who has put this nonsense into your heads?"

Zach chuckled coldly. "Come on, Gio. You are a better liar than that, brother. Take it from the top, this time...with more feeling."

"It is no secret that I hated him. He tortured my mother until she took her own life. But I would have never struck down the man that gave me life…only a faithless animal would do such a thing," he replied with a blatant jab at Damon.

Damon chuckled at his father's pathetic attempt to shame him. He had killed men for far less and he slept like a baby.

Stefan blinked in confusion. "I thought that our grandmother died of an aneurysm."

"She did. He's just trying to garner sympathy," Zach replied.

"I don't want your sympathy. I am only interested in educating you all."

Ric growled, "You will not sit here and spew lies about our father. You murdered him because you are a greedy soulless psychopath. Do not try to paint yourself as the victim, brother."

He laughed deeply. "You all prostrate yourselves in the memory of a man you did not know. My mother tried to commit suicide three times to escape her hellacious marriage. The third time was the charm. She slit her wrists in the bathtub. I found her there, clinging to life and she begged me to let her die. She couldn't bear to live another day under his iron fist. It pained me more than you all will ever know but I left her there for the maids to find. He wanted to save face. Domenico Salvatore couldn't have the public knowing that his wife committed suicide. He had our family physician lie on the paperwork."

Stefan swallowed thickly. His thoughts went to Lilly, Sheila, Abby, Jo, and Bonnie. The women involved with their family suffered in so many ways.

Giuseppe saw the expression on his son's face. "He tortured my mother simply because she loved another."

Damon didn't know if his father was telling the truth. He didn't really care. Damon was only a year old when Domenico was murdered. He didn't have any emotional attachment to the man. Frankly, his grandfather's death was merely a means to an end. However, he had to take control of the situation because he could see the wheels turning in his uncles' heads. They could sort out their daddy issues on their own time.

He pulled out his phone and said, "That was a compelling story. However, I have a better one. It's about a man that hated his father so much that he killed him, his mistress, a pilot, a copilot, a flight attendant, and three loyal soldiers. He blew them all to smithereens with a bomb he had planted in the cargo hold."

 **Sheila:** _Come to be bed, Gio. You aren't going to figure out anything else tonight._

 **Giuseppe:** _I am tired of him dangling what is rightfully mine over my head! Hasn't he cost me enough? My mother died from his neglect. He forced me to give up the only woman I have ever loved. You lost our child because of him, Sheila. He made me marry Lilly, a simple-minded woman without a single interesting thing to say. Now he wants to send me to Milazzo for the next five years. He's only doing it to keep us apart._

 **Sheila:** _He is set in his ways, Gio. But he's right. Too many would lose respect for you if I ever became more than your mistress. This world is still too intolerant for you to marry a Black woman. And you can't prove that he arranged for the mugging that caused my miscarriage._

 **Giuseppe:** _You see a harmless old man with antiquated views but he is a monster. I don't need proof of his crimes. I need him dead._

 **Sheila:** _Bite your tongue. To kill your father is to condemn yourself to hell._

 **Giuseppe:** _My sweet innocent, Uccellino. Always trying to save my soul. Don't you know I am already condemned? I have more blood on my hands than you can imagine._

 **Sheila:** _You can be forgiven if you repent for the others. But there can be no forgiveness for killing the one that gave you life. Don't do this, Gio. If you kill your father, it will make you as dark hearted as he is. Don't let him stain your soul. Do you not want to reunite with our baby one day?_

 **Giuseppe:** _Will you still love me even if I have already been condemned?_

 **Sheila:** _What have you done, Giuseppe?_

 **Giuseppe:** _I only did what needed to be done. The wheels have already been set in motion. A bomb has been planted on board his plane. It will explode over the Atlantic. I hope that the coast guard never finds his body. May the stronzo burn in hell. Do you still love me, Uccellino?_

 **Sheila:** _Always, Gio. I will always love you. And I will pray for your soul._

 **Giuseppe:** _Do not pray for me. It is Domenico that requires your prayers because he is about to meet his maker._

 **Sheila:** _Then I will pray for you both._

Giuseppe stared in disbelief as his last lifeline seemingly slipped away from him. Damon didn't need to fear retribution because no one would stand for him. His actions sparked a war that cost many men their freedom or their lives. He couldn't even pretend that the ensuing mob war had been an unintended consequence. We wanted the war so that he could grab more territory from their enemies. However, he was perhaps most heartbroken that the love of his life had betrayed him from the grave.

He remained silent for a beat. Then he sneered and asked, "Let me guess, that little bitch gave you the recording."

Damon stood up and backhanded Giuseppe with all of his strength. "That's right. Show us your true colors. You can no longer pretend that Bonnie is the goddaughter that you love so much. She is just as expendable as the rest of us are to you. Sheila knew exactly what sort of man you were and she gave Bonnie the means to protect herself. I think there is something poetic about you being the architect of your own undoing. Bonnie might have continued to sit on this recording if you hadn't attacked her like a deranged deviant."

Giuseppe flashed his blood stained teeth as he laughed at his eldest son. He said, "Take a good look at me, because this is going to be you one day, son. One day your little wife is going to decide that you have outlived your usefulness. Maybe she will just tire of you fucking every slut that smiles at you. I can't imagine that she enjoys you making her look like an idiot. She has moved out of the house already. Either way one day it will be you cuffed to a chair waiting for your son to end your life at her behest."

His father's words hit a little too close to home. He sneered, "That will never happen because I am not an abusive freak like you! Do you know how afraid the women in this family are of you? Jo is so terrified that she won't even leave the girls alone while they're in the manor. She worries that one day you will turn your sick attention onto them. Bonnie and Caroline have the same fears for Sarah and Bella. What kind of fucking degenerate is so soulless that even his flesh and blood isn't safe from him?"

The smile fell from his face as Damon's words sunk into his psyche. They couldn't truly believe that he would rape his own nieces or God forbid his granddaughters. He looked at the faces of the boys he had raised and saw the condemnation. "I would never…"

Damon screamed, "You tried to rape Bonnie and you helped raise her! She is your goddaughter. You used to sing her to sleep when she had nightmares. Tell me how she is different from Josie, Lizzie, Bella, or Sarah! It wasn't enough that you beat Bonnie black and blue. No, you wanted to take something else from her. You wanted her to know her place. You wanted to make it so I would never touch her again."

Giuseppe swallowed thickly because he didn't think that Bonnie would tell Damon everything that happened. Sheila had raised her in the old ways. It was shameful to speak of such things. However, it seemed that the girl was set on orchestrating his death. "I was drunk and I lost control. It would have never happened if I was sober, Damon. Besides, she provoked me. If Bonnie would have just kept her fucking mouth shut..."

"That's always your go to excuse, isn't it? You do horrendous fucking things to the people that you are supposed to love and then you blame alcohol. I am a fucking alcoholic, too. I even had a fairly serious coke problem for a time and I have never hurt a woman the way that you have. It is not in my character. I am an asshole but I am not an abuser. You just rip people apart and you don't give a damn about the wreckage that you leave behind. Katherine is so afraid of you that I missed six years of my daughter's life. I can never get that back!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked in genuine confusion.

"Come off it, Giuseppe. I know that you raped Katherine. Bonnie actually got her to come clean about what you did. I have a daughter with Katherine. Her name is Nadia. I only met her last week because of you. Do you see what you have done to this family? You have ruined us all but I will not let you do the same to our children," he bellowed.

He laughed bitterly and stared at his son. He said, "Everything you have is because of me, even the little bitch that is goading you to kill me! You have no idea who that girl actually is. She's not the sweet little girl that you watched grow up, Damon. She is as dangerous as they come. It is not a coincidence that my consigliere died the same night that Bonnie just happened to be at the same club. Freddy went missing right after you brought Bonnie home from Shadow Hills. No one has heard from him. Tripp died in a freak car accident."

Damon rolled his eyes dramatically. "Don't be this pathetic. Take your death with some sort of honor. You have earned everything that is about to happen to you. Bonnie didn't goad me to kill you. She thought that I could just make you retire. She only wanted you to go away so that she and Sarah would be safe."

"How did I raise you to be such a fucking idiot? She is playing you. I can guarantee that she never wanted me to retire. She gave you that recording because she wanted me dead. She gave you the last piece of the puzzle so that no one could challenge you! What kind of girl do you think a woman like Sheila raised? She is dangerous and you are only safe while she still loves you. Listen to me now and believe me later, Damon. She is not who you think she is. Just ask Alaric about her sweet little mother."

Damon glanced at his uncle and saw an uneasy expression on his face. "What is he talking about, Zio? What does any of this have to do with Abby?"

Alaric's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't like where this conversation was headed. Damon and Bonnie's relationship had enough problems without Giuseppe stirring the pot. He said, "He's talking bullshit to get into your head, Damon. Don't let him manipulate you this way."

He could tell that his uncle was holding something back. He said, "Maybe but you look as if he might have struck a chord."

The older man heaved a sigh because Damon wasn't going to move forward without an explanation. "Sheila planned for Abby to be her successor one day. She raised her in many of the same ways that Giuseppe raised us."

"What the fuck does that mean?" he asked warily.

Zach sighed and shook his head. Nothing good would come from exploring this line of questioning. However, he understood Damon's curiosity. Since they returned from Milazzo, his nephew had learned that he knew only segments of Bonnie's life and personality. She was a mystery to him and Giuseppe was offering answers even if he was a dubious source.

Ric frowned because he didn't like the way that Giuseppe was playing Damon. The boy already had problems with his wife. This would only make those problems worse. He would see shadows where there were none.

He said, "Abby learned how to kill, interrogate, and torture just like we did. Abby has done the occasional job for Big John over the years. Her life on the road made her a good assassin. Drop a body in Munich and move on to Warsaw with the tour the next night. She and I were supposed to be married. I made some mistakes and she refused. Sheila relented on the issue mostly because she didn't think that Abby possessed the desire to sacrifice for the good of the family. She pinned her hopes on future grandchildren and then along came Bonnie. I don't know much about how she was raised. You know that Abby wasn't very involved in her upbringing."

All he heard was white noise for a few minutes as he processed that. He was taken back to the moment where Bonnie told him that she planned to take over the smuggling operation. Hell, she had been intercepting all the reports on the business that he sent to Big John. He slowly sat down in the chair as his mind worked out pieces to a puzzle that hadn't really fit before now. He had watched Bonnie grow into the woman he married four years ago. Yet she was a stranger to him.

Giuseppe grinned. "Now you're thinking! Do you really think that everyone is loyal to you? The smuggling operation is still filled with people that have been loyal to the Benedetto family for decades. Sheila, her mother, and her grandmother believed in recruiting within families. Think about all the time Sheila spent with me. Do you really think she didn't establish a foothold in our organization? I mean I never cared because Sheila was the love of my life. I would have given her anything. I would have done anything for her. I did do anything for her. Do you know how many people I slaughtered in the 80's and 90's so that she could expand her business to the East Coast? I killed my own father so that he wouldn't separate us by sending me to Milazzo."

Damon's mind flitted from one idea to the next. Could his bunny be as devious and calculating as Sheila had been? A month ago, he would have dismissed all of this but he had seen too many cracks in his wife's facade. He couldn't begin to imagine all the things she hid from him.

Stefan said, "You can't believe anything coming out of his mouth. He knows that he's dead no matter what so he is just trying to get into your head now. We have known Bonnie her whole life. She is no killer, Damon. She is one of the sweetest people that I know and she loves you."

Zach said, "Stefan is right, Damon. If Bonnie wanted Giuseppe dead all along, she could have told Big John what happened. John would have killed Giuseppe without a second thought. They would have gone to war with us if we objected. She is a good kid. She stayed married to you after Gio attacked her. Most women would have run for the hills. She only left because you kept seeing Katherine."

"I know that Giuseppe is trying to manipulate me but it doesn't mean that he's wrong. Bonnie knows things about me that she shouldn't know. She knows about all of the women I have been seeing. She knows them by name. She knew that we stopped in Tenerife before going to Milazzo. Even if family connections let her know when we didn't arrive…she had no way of knowing where we stopped first. I don't believe Abby's story about finding out where the plane landed. For weeks now, I have wondered what other information Sheila gave Bonnie. Is it all on Giuseppe or does she have files on the rest of us, too? I have been kicking this can down the road until we killed the bastard but I have questions-a lot of them."

Ric pushed himself off the wall and walked over to his nephew. "Then you sit down and talk to your wife. I love you, kid, but you haven't actually tried to get to know her. You only know surface facts about her and that's on you. I have seen Bonnie change since she has been married to you. It reminds me of Abby. The sweet loving girl that I fell for disappeared because of my misbehavior and because of Rudy. She ran away from me for years, Damon. It took her years to forgive me and it still isn't the same as it once was. I don't know if it will ever be. Look at where Giuseppe is right now. Sheila served him up to us on a platter. We are talking about a woman he loved but she turned on him because of how he treated her. The stories Abby could you tell about the two of them would make you sick. Decide if you want to be married to Bonnie or if you want to call it quits. You need to decide before she decides for you. Either way don't let his asshole push you into doing something reckless."

Damon stared at his uncle for a long moment before he nodded. He said, "You are right. I said that I would ask Bonnie to have a joint session with Dr. Correa. I am going to stick with that. She's my wife and the mother of my children no matter what comes of this."

Zach nodded in approval. "Attaboy, nipote."

He looked at Zach and said, "I think you should get the first crack at him, Zio. He killed both of your parents. You can take as much time as you want with him."

Giuseppe deflated when he realized that he hadn't bought himself any more time. He had helped grow the seeds of doubt already planted in Damon's mind but it wouldn't benefit him.

Damon's argument with Bonnie was still fresh in his mind and Giuseppe was his number one suspect. However, his earlier reaction suggested that he would be reluctant to admit he raped Bonnie. Apparently, he did possess a modicum of shame. Damon planned to keep his father alive for a few days. He would pose his questions when Giuseppe's spirit was broken. It was the only way he would ever get the truth out of him. He had a few hours to think after Senior dropped off Victor and his father. They had to wait for the ketamine to wear off. Damon kept focusing on Bonnie's words. He was convinced that she wasn't accusing him of rape. Damon believed that she meant he sometimes reminded her of the person that hurt her. He found very little relief in that theory.

Zach walked over to a metal table and considered what implement he wanted to use. He picked up a cloth roll containing a variety of scalpels. Then he walked over to his older brother while wearing a serene expression. "I was always so grateful that you didn't let me go into foster care. I forgave the abuse because you raised me as one of your own. You never treated me different than you did Damon and Stefan. I felt like I was one of your boys. Now I know that you were the one that made me an orphan. Our old man was a son of a bitch but he never hit us. He never even raised his voice at us. I will never know how he raised you to be such a monster."

"Do you want me to apologize for killing your whore of a mother?" he spat angrily.

He shook his head as he rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. Then he donned a heavy plastic apron. Zach said, "No, I know guilt and remorse are foreign concepts for you. I just wanted to say my peace. Now I am going to enjoy myself. I focus on Velocita so much that I rarely have an opportunity to get my hands dirty. I miss doing wet work for the family on occasion. This should keep me satisfied for awhile."

Ric watched his younger brother with a cautious eye. He was concerned that Zach would snap and kill Giuseppe too soon. Learning the truth about Cecilia's death had taken a toll on him.

Zach spread the cloth roll out on a nearby table and studied the array of scalpels. After a few minutes, he chose a titanium scalpel. Zach took a deep breath and said, "I'm really going to enjoy this. Hit the music, Stef."

Stefan started the playlist and the Wu-Tang Clan's song C.R.E.A.M. started playing.

Zach rolled his shoulders and began methodically cutting Giuseppe's arm. Each cut was perhaps two inches in length but they were deep. He repeated the process until literally a hundred or so cuts covered both of Giuseppe's arms and his chest. Blood dripped from the wounds and flowed into a nearby drain.

Periodically, Damon glanced over at his younger brother. He didn't know what to expect. However, Stefan seemed to be viewing the proceedings clinically.

After nearly an hour, Giuseppe was shaking from the pain. A fine sheet of sweat covered his body. Lacerations covered nearly every inch of his exposed skin.

Zach set the scalpel aside and smiled at his brother. "Do you remember when you taught me how to do this, Gio?"

"You were always a good student," he bit out.

"True. I always wanted to make you proud. You also told me that it was important to improve on the techniques that you taught me," he said.

Zach walked over to the table and returned wearing a pair of rubber gloves and goggles. He also had a spray bottle in his hands. He began spraying the liquid onto the lacerations covering Giuseppe.

Ric lifted an eyebrow. "What is that?"

He smiled darkly and replied, "Distilled capsaicin…."

The older man started to scream as the burning sensation overwhelmed him. He bucked in the chair trying to get free but it was useless. He was handcuffed and shackled to the metal chair that was bolted to the floor.

Damon lit a cigar and sat down across the room. He murmured, "Like music to my ears…."


	45. Cease Fire

Damon stood in the conservatory and looked out the window deep in thought. He had attended three funerals yesterday. The sadness and grief had taken a toll on his already unraveling emotional state. He sipped from the cup of coffee in his hand. He had resisted the temptation to add a little whiskey to his morning brew. Drinking hard liquor before 8 o'clock in the morning wasn't wise. Moreover, he had a busy day that required him to have a clear mind. Damon was glad that Rose would be by his side for most it. She always had a calming effect on him. Rose also knew how to defuse his normally quick temper. Damon would be leaving his father in Alaric's capable hands for the day. The new crime boss had focused on the illicit side of his family's empire yesterday. Today, Damon had to return to business as usual as not to attract unwanted attention.

He glanced at his watch and sighed deeply. He would need to leave soon if he planned to make Bonnie's appointment on time. He wanted to be there to support his wife. The ultrasound scheduled for that morning would likely confirm the genders of their twins. However, he was not delusional enough to believe that Bonnie really wanted him there. Somehow, Bonnie and Damon's conversations devolved into screaming matches whenever they were in the same room. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her any more stress. Stefan had described Bonnie as being in shambles when he visited with her Tuesday morning. The younger Salvatore also reported that Big John would be arriving a few days after Christmas. The Benedetto family was obviously circling the wagons around Bonnie.

The mobster did not know what magic his little brother had worked on his childhood friend. However, Bonnie had reluctantly agreed to join Damon for a counseling session Thursday. She also agreed to more sessions on the condition that the first wasn't a complete clusterfuck. It took some sweet-talking from Zacharias but Dr. Correa agreed to meet with the troubled couple outside of her normal hours. They had an appointment on the books for tomorrow at six o'clock. The doctor left the appointment open ended after Zacharias gave her a brief overview of the central issues. Damon was paying through the nose for this unorthodox arrangement but it was well worth it in his opinion.

He had spent the better part of yesterday evening using a variety of modern and arcane torture and interrogation techniques on Giuseppe. Damon had even gone as far as administering a staggering dose of sodium thiopental to coax the truth out of him. However, his father vehemently denied having ever raped Bonnie. Damon did not know if Giuseppe was telling the truth. The old bastard had dosed himself with an impressive array of drugs over the years to build a tolerance against them. It was possible that Giuseppe was somehow resisting the effects of the sodium thiopental. Nevertheless, Damon was beginning to think that perhaps his father was innocent of **this** crime. Eliminating Giuseppe as Bonnie's attacker widened the suspect pool—but only to a certain degree. The girl had lived a sheltered existence prior to marrying Damon. Her attacker was likely a member of the Benedetto or Salvatore organizations. Damon found himself trying to remember anyone that had paid a little too much attention to Bonnie.

As if Damon's plate weren't already filled to the brim, he suddenly had a toddler in his care. Caroline did all the heavy lifting, but he had spent three hours with Victor yesterday. They had spent the majority of that time watching cartoons in silence. However, Victor seemed to be slowly warming up to Damon. He wanted his little brother to feel comfortable in his new surroundings. They still had no idea if Sabine was going to survive her injuries. Even if she did manage to survive, it could be months before she was well enough to care for Victor. The Salvatore Manor was Victor's home for the time being.

He turned around upon hearing Rose's heels click against the polished marble floor. Damon said, "Good morning. I was beginning to think that you would be late."

Rose looked as impeccable as she always did despite the early start. She was wearing a cream Gucci dress with long sleeves. The dress might have looked plain on some women. However, Rose resembled a sexy librarian with her red lipstick, perfectly manicured fingernails, and six-inch pumps. She smiled primly. "I could hardly be late this morning. It is a very special day for you."

"I think what you mean to say is that you wouldn't miss this appointment because you plan to play referee," he replied without judgment. Damon knew that he had made a complete mess of things.

She smiled, "I did not say that."

He just smiled in response because they both knew it was the truth even if she was too polite to voice it this morning. "Thank you for being here. I know that I have ruined your holiday plans."

Rose rolled her eyes and hugged Damon. "You know how much I detest my family. Besides, you are paying me very well to spend the holidays with you."

"You are worth every penny," he replied in a heartfelt voice.

She held up a shopping bag to mask the concern she felt for her friend. She could not remember the last time she had seen Damon so subdued. Rose found this entire situation to be maddening. Bonnie and Damon were meant for each other even if they were too dense to see that now. She had watched them dance around one another for years.

Damon said, "I don't think Bonnie will be in the mood to receive any gifts from me this morning, Rose."

"No, I would not expect her to want anything from you at this juncture. However, these presents are for the both of you."

He placed his cup of coffee on a nearby table and then pulled one of the boxes from the bag. Damon examined the custom-made baby memory book. The name Bennett-Salvatore had been pressed onto the leather cover. Damon's lips turned up into a smile. "These are very nice, Rose."

"I thought the memory books would be a way for you to connect with Bonnie. I know that everything is in tatters right now but you are both excited about the babies," she explained.

Damon returned the gift to the bag. "Thank you. I am sure that Bonnie will love them."

"You are welcome. Are you ready to leave? Traffic on the freeway will be an absolute bear. You do not want to arrive late for this appointment," she said.

He glanced at his watch once more. Damon nodded and said, "I need to speak with Stefan before we leave. It will not take long."

Rose took the gift bag from him. "I will meet you outside."

The two friends exited the conservatory together and then went in different directions. Damon walked toward the kitchen where he expected to find one of his younger brothers. Instead, he found both of them at the table sporting serious cases of bed head. Victor was perched on Stefan's knee staring at a tablet. "Hey…"

Stefan and Victor's heads popped up at nearly the same time. The older of the two nodded in greeting. "Hey. I thought you would be gone by now."

Damon walked over to the table and sat across from his brothers. He said, "I am about to leave in a few minutes. I was just waiting on Rose to show up. What are the two of you doing?"

"We're watching an episode of _Babar_ en Francais while we wait for breakfast. I think that maybe Victor is so quiet because he feels more comfortable speaking French. He seems to be enjoying it so far. I have downloaded several French cartoons to give him some variety. A man can't live on _Babar_ alone."

The older man shook his head because it was yet another thing they did not know about Victor. Giuseppe had done them all a disservice by hiding the child's existence. Their younger brother obviously spoke and understood English—despite the limited vocabulary of a toddler. It had never occurred to Damon that Sabine might have been raising Victor in a multilingual home. The elder Salvatore brothers had been raised in a home where English, Italian, and French were spoken with equal frequency. However, Damon remembered Lilly often comforting him in French when he was very young. "Good job, little brother."

He said, "Actually, Bonnie gave me the idea of trying this when we spoke yesterday. I told her how quiet Victor was being and she wondered if perhaps French was his primary language."

Damon smiled at the mention of Bonnie. He directed his attention to Victor. "Es tu bon garcon pour Stefan?"

Victor looked up from the screen and smiled at Damon. He nodded his head and went back to watching the cartoon.

Damon chuckled softly. "He also might be on the quiet side because he likes sucking his thumb. Taking it out to speak is kind of a hassle."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Stefan argued.

The older man smiled wryly. Stefan had sucked his thumb until he was five years old and could be a little sensitive about it. He held up his hands in mock surrender. "I didn't say that there was anything wrong with that. Just try to keep him from touching the puppies and then putting his thumb in his mouth."

Stefan winced in disgust. "I'll make sure to inform the nannies to sanitize his hands often."

Damon asked, "What are you doing today?"

The younger man said, "I will probably hang out with the kids for most of the day. Caroline will be busy with work. She and Liz have a massive Christmas party to manage tonight."

"The uncles' flight is scheduled to land around 3 o'clock. I don't know if I will be able to get away from work to meet them," he explained.

Stefan shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Damon. Uncle Zach already made all the arrangements to have them picked up from the airport and brought here. Caroline instructed the staff to prepare their old rooms. She even asked Sophie to prepare Zio Bruno's favorite meal. We have everything covered here. Go handle your business."

Damon was relieved that everyone was helping him juggle his responsibilities. "Call me if anything comes up, Stefan."

"I will."

Damon stood up and ruffled Victor's shaggy brown hair. "Au revoir, Victor."

The little boy looked up once more. He removed his thumb for a moment. In a tiny voice, he said, "Salut."

A broad grin spread across Damon's face. He looked at his brothers for a second longer before heading out to the car.

The guard opened Damon's door as he approached the car. "Good morning, sir."

"Morning," Damon replied as he climbed into the car. He glanced over at Rose. "I need for you to get a bunch of French language stuff suitable for someone Victor's age…preferable before Christmas morning."

Rose nodded and added the item to her growing to-do list. Her duties had expanded since Damon and Bonnie were on the outs. He also had her playing go between with Katherine. Rose didn't mind playing the role if it helped her friend avoid unnecessary temptation. She said, "I will get on that immediately, Damon. Your brother will have a splendid first Christmas with your family. You will, too."

The driver pulled away from the Salvatore Manor.

He huffed, "Don't make promises that you can't keep. There is every chance this will be an absolute disaster. I don't even know if I will see both of my daughters on Christmas."

She said, "Of course you will see Sarah and Nadia on Christmas Day, Damon. I have already made arrangements with Katherine and Bonnie. I will pick up both girls at 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon. You will have them for the rest of the day. The girls are allowed to spend the night at the manor if they want."

Damon shouldn't have been shocked because Rose always had his back when he needed her most. However, he had not been expecting that. "How in the hell did you pull that off?"

"Well, Bonnie's family is celebrating the holiday on Christmas Eve. The only plan for Christmas Day is to open presents and have brunch. She thought Sarah spending the day with your family was a good idea," she explained.

He said, "I can't imagine that Katherine was so easily convinced."

She laughed softly. "Katherine is trying to get on your good side. I am sure that she is hoping that a little good will on her part will inspire you to loosen the purse strings. However, I think the deciding factor was Nadia. She is eager to spend more time with you. She is also quite excited to meet Stefan and Caroline's twins."

Damon reached over and took Rose's hand. He placed a kiss across her knuckles and murmured, "Thank you."

"I am only doing my job."

He smiled. "I think we both know that this is above and beyond your job description."

Rose shook her head and said, "I meant my job as your friend. I am supposed to help pick you up whenever you are down. You would do and have done the very same for me."

He chuckled. "You have never fucked up your life to quite this degree."

"No, but Trevor nearly did," she replied solemnly.

Damon's expression turned more serious, too. "Being related to an idiot is not a flaw in your character. It is merely a quirk of DNA."

"That is true enough but I was a fool to allow Trevor to drag me down with him. You saved both of us when you were not obligated to do anything."

He smiled and squeezed Rose's hand before letting it go. He had called in many favors to make Trevor's problems disappear. Damon had been willing to allow the idiot to suffer the consequences for crossing the Mikaelsons. However, everything had changed once Rose was drawn into the fray.

It was quiet on the ride to the medical complex where Dr. Huerta's office was located. Damon was trying to ignore the knot twisting in his stomach. He hated himself for hoping that both twins were girls. He knew it was unfair to trap Bonnie in their marriage out of necessity alone. However, he just needed more time to figure out their relationship. He couldn't see divorcing Bonnie when he didn't even know her. If Damon was being honest, he had hid a great deal of himself from her, too. He couldn't imagine a scenario where Bonnie could truly love someone covered in as much blood as he was. Giuseppe's taunts had been meant to scare Damon. Instead he found himself more intrigued.

Damon climbed out of the car when the driver opened the door for him. He waited on the curb for Rose to join him before they walked into the building. The friends were walking to the elevator when Damon saw Abby headed in his direction.

The older woman flashed a winning smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hello."

"Hi, Abby," Damon said in greeting.

Rose said, "Hi, Ms. Bennett. How are you?"

"I am absolutely bubbling with excitement," she replied.

Rose said, "I think that we all are. This is a perfect Christmas gift."

Abby nodded in agreement. She looked at her son-in-law. "Can I have a quick word with you over here for a moment?"

Damon looked at Rose. "I'll meet you at the elevator."

Abby linked arms with the younger man and led him over to a deserted corner of the large lobby. "How are you doing?"

He lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Do you really care?"

Abby didn't take offense to his blunt question. She said, "I care about you, Damon. I also care about my little girl. Today is supposed to be a happy one for her. She has had such a difficult pregnancy up to this point. This appointment is meant to be a new chapter of her pregnancy—a better one. If you can't help foster a positive environment, then I suggest you turn around and leave."

"I am not here to argue with Bonnie or upset her. I just want to support my wife and learn what we are having. I know that everything has been crazy but I am happy about this pregnancy, Abby," he swore.

She nodded and pulled him into a hug. She whispered, "If you ruin this for my daughter, I will gut you like a fish and leave you to bleed out in the parking garage."

Damon pulled back from the hug to see if Abby's threat had been made in jest. However, her hazel eyes reminded him of sharpened blades. He said, "You have my word."

Abby smiled and smoothed her hand over his charcoal gray jacket. "This is a nice color on you. You look very handsome this morning."

"Thank you…" he said.

She linked arms with Damon once more and walked to the elevator with him. "Bonnie is already in the examination room. The nurse decided to collect all the samples for the lab work before the appointment since we were here so early."

"Will today just be the ultrasound then?" he asked. Despite having two daughters, Damon had never actually been to an OB/GYN appointment. He didn't really know what to expect.

Abby nodded as they stepped onto the elevator. "Dr. Huerta will get a look at the twins to make sure they are developing properly. He is going to look for any abnormalities. Hopefully, they will both be in the right position to determine the sexes."

"Abnormalities?" he repeated in an alarmed voice.

The older woman offered a genuine smile this time. She said, "It is a normal procedure, Damon. There is no reason to think that the twins aren't perfectly healthy. Bonnie has an entire team of medical professionals monitoring her health in concert. The concierge medical service she retained sends over a nurse every day to check her blood pressure and glucose levels. That information gets shared with Dr. Huerta so that everyone is in the loop."

Damon felt marginally better but he was still concerned. He would not be satisfied until Dr. Huerta gave clean bills of health to Bonnie and the twins.

They exited the elevator when it reached the correct floor. There were only a few people in the waiting room since it was so early.

Matt was sitting in a position where he could monitor the elevator and the stairwell. He would have a sight line for everyone arriving and leaving the floor. He nodded respectfully when he saw Damon.

Abby said, "Bonnie is in examination room six. It is around the corner to ensure her privacy."

"Aren't you coming with me?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I am going to stay here in the waiting room. Bonnie thought it was important for the two of you to share this moment alone. She will invite me back once the appointment is finished. I will not miss an opportunity to see my grandchildren in 4D for the first time."

"Oh, okay," he uttered. He turned to look at Rose.

She gave him an encouraging smile. "Well, go on. I want to know if I am going to have nieces, nephews, or one of each."

Abby laughed softly. "Well, Sarah is hoping for girls."

"Is she?" Damon asked. He hated that it was something he didn't know. Sarah had learned about the pregnancy while he was in Milazzo. Bonnie had explained everything to their daughter without his help.

"She is also hoping for three babies…take that for what you will," Abby added with an amused smile.

Damon's blue eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "That's not actually a possibility, right? I mean Dr. Huerta is certain that Bonnie is only pregnant with twins."

Abby and Rose both laughed at his priceless expression. He looked horrified.

The older woman nodded. "Dr. Huerta is quite sure. But Sarah insists that if there are two babies in her mama's tummy then there can be three or four."

Rose chuckled softly. She said, "Theoretically she is right..."

Abby said, "True but it looks as if her papa might pass out right here."

Damon cleared his throat and started down the hall. Abby was joking but he might actually pass out if Bonnie was pregnant with triplets. He didn't know how they would manage with twins. Damon was barely keeping his head above water with Sarah and now Nadia.

He stopped in front of the examination room. Damon took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. "It's me, Bonnie."

"Come in," she called out.

Damon walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He stood there a moment completely taken by Bonnie's beauty. She was barely wearing any makeup but there was this glow about her. He said, "Hey."

"Hi," she replied.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I am okay. What about you?"

He hated the awkwardness between them. "I am good. I am excited to see this ultrasound. Your mom told me that it was 4D. I don't even know what that is."

She said, "I have seen some YouTube videos of 4D ultrasounds and the detail is amazing. It's not grainy like the images from the regular machines."

"Really?" he asked. Damon pulled out his phone to search for videos.

Bonnie motioned to a stool that was pushed into the corner. "You can bring that over here if you want to sit down. We might be waiting for a few minutes. I was anxious so I got here really early for my appointment."

He smiled. "Abby mentioned that, too. At least you got all of the blood work done. Are you still afraid of needles?"

She frowned at him. "No."

Damon pulled the stool over and sat beside the table. He smirked. "Really?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Mama held my hand but it was more for her benefit than mine."

"I'm sure it was," he replied. Damon studied a video on his phone. He stared at the screen in awe then turned it to Bonnie. "This is what we are going to see?"

She nodded. Bonnie couldn't help but smile every time she thought of seeing their babies clearly for the first time. "Yep. Cool, right?"

"Definitely…" He asked, "Where is Sarah?"

Bonnie said, "She was still asleep when I left the house. Lucy is watching the kids while Mama and I are here."

"Uh, I talked to Rose about Christmas this morning. Thank you."

She shrugged. "Sarah should be able to enjoy both sides of her family for Christmas. She shouldn't suffer because we are…whatever we are."

"You're still my wife, Bunny. I am not willing to give up on us," he replied.

"Why not? We only got along because I spent my time pretending to be someone else. I swallowed all the pain and the anger just to make it through the day. I don't want to live like that anymore. I also don't want fight with you all the time. It is exhausting and pointless."

Damon took her hand. "I have to believe there is a middle ground."

"What if there isn't?" she asked. "The history between our families suggests that this marriage was always destined to fail. We are like oil and fire when you put us together-combustible."

He shook his head. "I don't believe that because we aren't them. Can you imagine Giuseppe ever going to counseling? Can you imagine Ric doing that? I am doing it because you are worth it."

Bonnie looked away from the earnest expression on his face. "You can't know that. If this is about the kids, we will find a way to be healthy co-parents. I won't try to keep them away from you."

Damon tilted Bonnie's chin up so that she was looking at him. "This is about you, Bonnie. I love you. You know about the other women I have seen in the past. None of them have ever compared to you. Maybe I don't know everything about you but you weren't faking everything."

Dr. Huerta knocked on the door and then entered the room. "Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore."

Bonnie was relieved that the doctor arrived before they could delve any deeper into their issues. She replied, "Morning."

Damon stood up and shook the doctor's hand. "Good morning, Dr. Huerta."

The older man stopped by the hand sanitizer dispenser before returning to the exam table. "How are you feeling today?"

"I feel good. I am just nervous."

He made sure that everything was set up before putting on his gloves. "It is completely natural to feel a little nervous but I assure that this is just a routine checkup. Are the two of you ready to get a sneak peek of your little ones?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yes."

Dr. Huerta smiled, "Lift your sweater up for me, please."

She rolled the red cashmere sweater up until it rested just beneath her breasts. Then she unbuttoned her black leather pants so that her stomach was completely exposed. There was a small, but noticeable swell to her stomach.

Damon stared at the swell in awe. He couldn't believe how much her body had changed in just a few weeks.

The doctor said, "This might be a little cold."

Bonnie smiled. "I know…"

He squirted some conductive gel on Bonnie's stomach before grabbing the transducer. He moved the transducer over Bonnie's stomach until he had a good angle on the twins. "And there they are."

Bonnie tried to blink away the tears that welled up in her eyes. However, it was a losing battle.

Damon looked away from the screen when he heard Bonnie sniffle. He used his thumb to wipe away her tears. "What's wrong, Bunny?"

"I am fine. I am just happy," she whispered. Bonnie had been terrified for weeks that her body would be unable to sustain this pregnancy. However, she could see with her own eyes that her babies were thriving inside her womb.

"I am, too," Damon replied.

The parents listened closely as Dr. Huerta explained that the twins were developing on schedule. Their fetal size was within the normal range for their gestational age. Moreover, all of their organs looked normal. He didn't see any abnormalities or defects that would put the pregnancy at risk. The doctor took the time to point out the twins' developing organs to the anxious parents. He then studied the placenta, amniotic fluid, and uterus to determine their overall health.

Dr. Huerta said, "I have left you both in suspense long enough. Would you like to know the sex of your babies?"

Bonnie looked at Damon. "Do you want to know? We didn't really get a chance to discuss it."

He nodded. "Sure. I mean…I do if you want to know."

Bonnie said, "I definitely want to know. I have been waiting on pins and needles all week for this."

Damon smiled and said, "Go ahead, Doc."

"If you look right here, you will see that Baby A is a little boy. And right here we have Baby B who is a girl. She is just a little bit smaller than her brother is. Congratulations," he said.

Bonnie felt so many emotions all at once. She was elated that her children were healthy. She was also happy that one of the twins was a boy. They had an heir and her duty to the Benedetto and Salvatore families would be complete once he was born. "A boy and a girl," she said in an astonished tone.

Damon's feelings were all over the map, too. He was grateful that Bonnie and his children were healthy despite all of the stress and trauma. Damon was thrilled to be having a son to carry on his name and legacy. He was happy to add yet another girl to the family. He thought it was a great change after growing up in a house filled with boys. Sarah had brought unimaginable joy to his life. Damon felt certain that this little girl would do the same. However, there was also the crushing fear lingering in the back of his mind. Bonnie would have no need of him as soon as their son was born. He kissed the top of her head. "You are amazing, kid."

She shook her head. "I'm not doing anything."

Damon said, "You are doing everything. I mean look at them. Our babies are growing inside of you. I am so proud of you."

Bonnie was taken aback by Damon's sincerity. She smiled a little. "Well, I didn't do this alone."

Damon returned her smile but they both knew that was a lie. The only positive thing he had contributed to this pregnancy was his sperm.

Dr. Huerta asked, "Would you like to hear their heartbeats?"

Bonnie nodded eagerly. "Yes, please."

Soon twin heartbeats filled them room.


	46. This is Business

Bonnie felt so incredibly conflicted after her doctor's appointment. The young mother was overjoyed that her babies were healthy. The health and well-being of her children would always be at the very top of her list. Unfortunately, she had not attended that appointment alone. As usual being in the same room with Damon had twisted her up inside. He had been sweet, loving, and attentive. For years, she had been longing for that side of him. Yet this morning it had only angered and confused her. She hated him for putting the effort in now that her heart was already broken. Where was this love and compassion when she was drowning before his very eyes? Being a good parent was Damon's lone redeeming quality. Their desire to give their children a better childhood than they had was perhaps the only thing they had in common.

Bonnie knew that she could be a good mother. She loved Sarah and the twins with every inch of her heart. She would give them anything and destroy anyone that ever tried to hurt them. Bonnie knew the value of putting her children's needs above her own selfishness. She didn't want to spend Christmas Day away from Sarah. Bonnie knew that her heart would literally ache while her daughter spent time with Salvatores. However, there was no pain or sacrifice that she wouldn't suffer for her little girl. Bonnie had her children in mind when she agreed to couples' therapy with Damon. They had to find a way to co-parent or they would ruin their children in the same ways that their parents ruined them.

Interacting with Damon just made Bonnie feel broken and vulnerable. She could not help but to feel as if there was something wrong with her. Sometimes the shame and confusion threatened to swallow her whole. However, she had no such doubts when it came to her family's business. She was in complete control while in that world. Sheila had raised her to take the organization's reins one day. Bonnie knew every aspect of the business like the back of her own hand. She had required that Richard keep her abreast of everything while she had played at being Damon's wife.

Bonnie knew that the counseling session tomorrow evening would be difficult. However, today she planned to focus on her family's business. As soon as Bonnie left Dr. Huerta's office, she met with a few key members of the smuggling operation. It was the first step in taking her rightful place. The meeting had proved to be a success. She hadn't expected much resistance with her cousins standing behind her—literally. She made sure that everyone understood Cesare would be running point but that she would be heavily involved. Her second act of business was to inform them that a new partnership and an expanded catalog were on the horizon. Richard and Lucy had been working on a deal for quite some time. It was finally coming to fruition at exactly the right moment.

Bonnie's third order of business was not as simple. She was dropping in on her father unannounced at his hotel. She needed his help. Everyone wanted Niklaus imprisoned for what he did to her. Bonnie could admit that seeing him suffer had a certain appeal. However, she couldn't be as short-sighted as those around her were. She had a duty to the organization and her family. She was required to make the hard decisions to ensure their continued success. Having a Mikaelson in her pocket would be a game changer. Her family already had a few moles in the Mikaelson organization. Tristan de Martel had provided useful information but his role would change when his mentor, Vincent, retired.

She walked up to the suite's door with a shopping bag in one hand. She turned to look at Matt and smiled at him. "I feel bad for dragging you around today. However, I would like you to stay out here. I know it will be boring but I promise to take you anywhere you would like for lunch. Tyler is going to meet us wherever we choose to go."

He smiled and said, "It is fine, Bon. Like 80% of my job is just sitting around looking muscular and intimidating."

Bonnie laughed softly. "We both know that isn't true but I appreciate your understanding. I know playing bodyguard and chauffer isn't exactly what you had in mind."

Matt lowered his voice and said, "I took a vow to protect your family as if they were my own blood. Now you are carrying my blood…as if I needed more motivation."

The Donovan and Salvatore families shared branches on the same family tree. Bonnie's children and Matt would be distant cousins.

She hugged Matt and cleared her throat. "Thanks…"

Matt pulled back from the hug with a smile. He lifted an eyebrow at her glassy eyes. "Are you about to cry?"

She gave an indignant huff. "It's the pregnancy hormones."

He smirked. "Sure…"

Bonnie lightly shoved his shoulder and knocked on the door.

The blond mobster leaned against the wall and took out his phone. He would surf the internet while he waited on Bonnie. He was curious about this meeting with her father. Bonnie had made a point of not telling Abby, Lucy, or Tyler where she was headed. Matt was certain that Bonnie was working an angle that they wouldn't like.

Rudy was surprised to see his daughter standing in front of his suite. He said, "Ketsele, I did not expect to see you until dinner tonight. Come in."

Unbeknownst to Bonnie, Abby had bought out her favorite restaurant for the evening. She had wanted to host a gender reveal party for their daughter. However, Bonnie had shot down the idea because of Damon. She thought it would be a bad look to have a party to announce the twins' genders without the father present. Bonnie also didn't feel like inviting him to a party that was supposed to be a happy occasion for her. Rudy had known that his ex-wife wouldn't be put off the idea so easily. In some instances, he knew Abby much better than Bonnie did. She was so excited about the twins and Abby wanted to make sure that Bonnie was enjoying this pregnancy, too. Instead of a lavish party, they would have a simple family meal with a few gifts. The simple meal would just take place at a four star restaurant.

Bonnie hugged him and then walked into the suite. "I am sorry for just dropping by without calling first. I was hoping that we would have the opportunity to talk…alone. Mama's house is always so crowded."

The Benedettos from Milazzo were staying at a hotel, but they spent a great deal of time at Abby's house. They congregated at her home because Bonnie was living there. Abby also had a close relationship with their family from Milazzo. She had spent a great deal of time with Big John's family over the years. She had felt more welcomed there than she did with her own mother at times. Sheila never turned her back on Abby but dealing with the constant disapproval could be soul crushing. Big John loved Abby unconditionally and never harshly judged her missteps.

The older man noticed Matt standing outside and frowned. He wondered why the young man wasn't joining them. However, he closed the door and walked to his suite's sitting area. "Are you hungry? We can order something from room service. The food here is delicious."

She smiled and sat down on the couch. Bonnie said, "I am a little hungry, but Matt and I are going to grab lunch once we leave here."

"Can I get you something to drink then?"

"I wouldn't say no to a bottle of water. I am thirsty all the time now. It is a normal, if not annoying, part of being pregnant," she joked.

Rudy grabbed two bottles of Perrier from the mini bar and a container of chocolate covered pretzels. He had seen his daughter devour a container just yesterday. He sat down beside Bonnie and handed her one of the bottles. "Here you are."

Bonnie said, "Thank you." She opened the bottle of water and glanced at the chocolate covered pretzels. "Are these for me?"

He nodded. "A little snack before lunch can't hurt."

She laughed softly and opened the container without a second thought. She did feel a little peckish. Frankly, the nutritionist had her grazing like a cow. Bonnie was supposed to eat a snack between each of the day's major meals plus one after dinner.

Rudy unbuttoned his jacket and got settled on the couch. Just a few years ago, he never could have imagined this happening. Bonnie had only invited him to her wedding for the sake of appearances. He and Abby had both hurt their daughter a great deal by abandoning her. However, he crushed Bonnie with a few simple words when she was a teenager. Their relationship had never recovered from that blow—until now. He wasn't sure if Bonnie was ready to forgive him or if she just needed his help. Rudy was willing to take what he could get.

Bonnie ate a few pretzels and asked, "Have you talked to Mama this morning?"

He nodded. "Abby called me after she left the appointment. She said that you and the babies are very healthy but she wouldn't tell me their sexes. She thought it would be better if you had the opportunity to share that with me."

"Oh, Mama was so excited when I called her back to the exam room. I expected her to hire a skywriter to share the good news. I am having a girl and a boy."

"Congratulations, ketsele." He asked, "Can I hug you?"

Bonnie nodded and put down the pretzels. She hugged her father for the first time in years. It was an unfamiliar feeling but pleasant. She could tell that despite his many faults, Rudy loved her. Abby loved her, too. It was a refreshing notion after years of believing otherwise. Bonnie was old enough now to understand her parents were human and flawed. Their dereliction of duty could be attributed to any number of valid reasons. Bonnie could continue to hold onto her anger forever but it would be like cutting her nose to spite her face.

After the hug, she picked up the shopping bag and handed it to Rudy. "I bought this for you."

He took a box out of the shopping bag and opened it. Rudy was surprised to find an antique menorah and candles. "What is this?"

"Well, I know the first night of Hanukkah is in a few days. You are stuck here helping me with my Klaus problem. I didn't want you to miss out on the opportunity to celebrate properly because you are away from home. I hope that this isn't out of line…"

He stared at the menorah for several long minutes before turning to look at his daughter. Rudy shook his head. "You didn't have to do this but it is appreciated. Thank you, ketsele."

She smiled. "I felt bad because I know everything over at Mama's house is all Christmas, all the time. She really goes all out for the holiday. It is her favorite time of the year. I hope it hasn't been too much for you."

Rudy shook his head. "I have enjoyed Abigail's Christmas spirit. She was just as enthusiastic when we were married. We actually celebrated both holidays without telling your grandmother. Sheila would have had a fit if she knew we celebrated Hanukkah, too."

Bonnie hated that her grandmother had been so close-minded. However, Sheila had been old school Catholic. Her grandmother always wore black lace veils to funerals—even when she was responsible for the death. Sheila was from the generation that believed all non-Catholics were doomed to hell. She had been apoplectic with rage when Abby started dating Rudy. "I'm sorry. Grams was…"

Rudy shook his head and returned the menorah to the bag. "You don't need to apologize for your grandmother. Frankly, my grandparents were equally unsupportive when my parents were married. My mother was Jewish but my father was Christian. I grew up celebrating both holidays. I attended services at both churches. They gave me the opportunity to choose my own path."

Bonnie was embarrassed by how little she knew about her father's side of the family. She only knew bits and pieces she had gleaned from Abby over the years. Bonnie had always been too afraid to ask her grandmother for information. Sheila didn't try to hide her hatred of Rudy. As a child, Bonnie hadn't understood the intricacies of the situation. She thought that her grandmother's only issue with Rudy was his sordid business as a drug trafficker. However, now she knew that her father had been an abusive asshole. He was lucky that Sheila didn't kill him. Bonnie wouldn't hesitate to murder a man that had the gall to abuse her child.

The girl occupied a strange space. She hated what Rudy did to Abby, but Bonnie still wanted to get to know him. For better or worse, he was half her DNA. Abby was in favor of Bonnie reconnecting with Rudy. She wanted to widen Bonnie's support system. She asked, "Your mother is still alive, right?"

"Yes. My mother lives in Taos, New Mexico. She moved there about a decade ago when she semi-retired," he explained.

"Do you see her often since you live in London?"

He nodded. "I usually see her a couple times a year. My brother, Cade, spends more time with her than I do. He comes stateside more. I plan to visit her while I am here."

"And Cade is your younger brother, right?"

"He is my much younger brother," he replied with a chuckle. "Cade is ten years younger than I am. He is a pain in my ass but a great business partner. He is the reason that I can stay out here for as long as you need me."

Bonnie shook her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be playing twenty questions with you."

"I don't mind," he said quickly. "I am happy that you are curious about my side of the family. I know that I didn't do right by you. My distance meant that my family was distant, too. Whenever Abby sent me pictures of you, I always made copies for my parents. My mother brags about you to all of her friends."

She rubbed her thumb across the Saint Christopher's medal. "I don't want to think about the past. You are here now. You are putting yourself on the line to help me. I appreciate what you are doing."

"Well, I know that Abigail would rather stick spikes in her eyes than ask me for anything. When she called out of the blue saying that you needed my help…I knew that it was serious."

Bonnie said, "I appreciate you helping me without any real details about what Niklaus did. I know it is unfair but talking about it isn't easy for me. It took years for me to tell Mama."

Rudy looked down at his hands and said, "I drew certain conclusions from the way your mother spoke. Whatever Niklaus did to you, hurts her in way I didn't think was possible. Abby doesn't think that she is a strong person but I know better."

She felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Bonnie shook her head. "I shouldn't have brought her into this. I was just lost and scared. I didn't have anyone else in my life that I could turn to for help. Holding it all in was killing me."

"Please, don't feel that way, ketsele. As much as the truth hurt Abigail, she wouldn't have wanted you to continue carrying that pain alone. Your mother and I turned everything around us to ashes, but you are the only good thing we ever did together. We are both so proud of the woman you have become. You are a good mother and wife. Somehow you still manage to be on the Dean's List every semester. You have been on the President's List a couple times, too. You did all of these amazing things without a bit of help from us."

Bonnie shook her head. "I feel like such a bitch."

"Why would you say a thing like that?"

She chuckled and blinked back tears. "I came here to talk to you as a businessman because I don't really know how else to connect with you. Now you are saying all of these nice things to me."

Rudy took out his handkerchief and handed it to her. "That's not exactly your fault. I haven't been a real father to you for eighteen years. Business is probably one of the few things that we have in common right now. But that can change with time, if you are willing."

Bonnie sniffled as she dried her eyes. "You carry a handkerchief?"

"A gentleman always carries a handkerchief," he replied immediately.

She laughed softly and said, "I'll keep that in mind."

"What exactly did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

The young woman took a deep breath and tried to collect herself. "I appreciate the plan you and Mama put together. Niklaus belongs in prison for any number of horrible things he has done but he is more useful to me as a semi-free man."

Rudy studied her face for a moment. "What do you mean by semi-free?"

Bonnie said, "As you know, I have decided to take over my family's business. My relationship with Damon is on the rocks and it is high time I got on with the business of being Grams' heir. She taught me that cultivating assets was the key to her success. Niklaus will soon be his brother's second-in-command. He will control the largest contiguous parcel of Mikaelson territory. He is whip smart and probably better suited for this business than even Elijah is. I foresee a great deal of success for him. Niklaus did something unforgivable and reprehensible to me but he is valuable. Ignoring his value would be misguided. I will get my revenge for what Niklaus did to me. In the meantime, I want to utilize his guilt and his attraction to me."

Rudy frowned. "Your mother…"

"Mama wasn't meant for this business. I love her dearly but there is an element of sacrifice that she would never be able to abide. I have been sacrificing for this family since I was sixteen-years-old when I kept Niklaus' crimes a secret. Maybe it started before then when Grams started molding me into her successor. Either way I am used to making the hard decisions and living with the discomfort. The difference now is that I am making these sacrifices for my children's future. I am going to make damn sure that my daughters and son never suffer in the ways that I have suffered."

It was difficult listening to Bonnie be so candid about her upbringing. He saw now why Abigail had cried that first day they met in his hotel suite. Rudy felt enraged and impotent simultaneously and he didn't even have all the facts. "I suppose you want to set Niklaus up as planned but resist pulling the trigger."

She said, "No, we will still make the bust happen. Mama told me that there is someone that you need to get swept up in the sting. I will not mess up your end of things. We can make sure that a few mid-level Mikaelson associates go down as well. I am sure that would satisfy our federal friends. They so love doing the prep walk in front of the cameras to prove that they are tough on organized crime. It is comical really. They behave as if many of their colleagues aren't bought and paid for. The only adjustment to the plan is that I will swoop in at the very last moment to play White Knight for Niklaus. He will be grateful that I saved him from prison. I can work with that. However, I will have the evidence of his involvement in the drug deal to hold over his head if he ever forgets his gratitude. I can arrange for his stay in prison to be…very uncomfortable this time."

Rudy didn't like Bonnie's plan but he had to admit it was a good one. "We will have to adjust a few things but I can make it work. Give me a few days to iron out the new details. In the meantime, you are going to have to break the news to your mother. I will not be doing that. She already tried to kill me once. She would probably succeed this time."

"I am hoping that the payback I have planned will satisfy her and Lucy for now," she said.

Bonnie was most concerned about Tyler. His temper was notoriously short. She did not doubt for a second that he would kill Niklaus if given the opportunity. Tomorrow night was as much about appeasing him as it was getting retribution. Tyler would have a hands-on opportunity to beat Niklaus bloody. She hoped that would pacify him for now.

"Payback?" he asked.

Bonnie smiled. "Well, Niklaus is going to get an old fashioned beat down tomorrow night. He'll know exactly who is responsible and why there isn't a damn thing he can do about it. I know that it won't be enough but it is better than nothing."

"Is there anything else that I can do?" he asked.

She shook her head and said, "Not related to the Niklaus situation. However, I was thinking that maybe Sarah and I could have dinner with you Monday. We could come here and order room service or we could go out somewhere if you like."

He was thrilled by the dinner invitation. "I would love that. Where does Sarah like to eat?"

"My bambolina isn't picky about food. She is very much like me in that respect. If you put it in front of her, she'll eat it. Mama convinced her to eat tripe the other day."

Rudy looked vaguely ill. "I am glad I missed that meal."

Bonnie laughed. "I loved eating tripe as a kid but it is not on my diet. My nutritionist would have a fit."

He said, "She is a lively woman…"

She grinned. "Aileen is downright terrifying but incredibly helpful. She has really helped get me on track with gaining weight. Mama has been a big help, too. She never complains about cooking for me. I am going to miss all of the attention once I move into the beach house."

"I am sure that Abby would be willing to help you once you move. She is not looking forward to you leaving."

Bonnie said, "I have already hired a private chef. He will start once I get settled into my house. Sarah and I will still spend a lot of time at Mama's house. I want Sarah to have a closer relationship with my brothers and sister."

Rudy said, "They are a good bunch of kids."

"Yeah, they are."

"Would you be interested in seeing some pictures from my side of the family? Last year, Cade scanned all of my mother's pictures and put them in a cloud so that we could all share them."

The green-eyed girl smiled. "Really? I would love that."

"Wait right here. I just need to get my laptop."

Bonnie took out her phone and checked her messages while she ate a few more pretzels. She smiled when she saw a message from Tyler.

 **Tyler: Matt said we're getting lunch. I'll pick up something and meet you at the beach house around 1. What do you want?**

 **Bonnie: Grilled chicken salad & a grilled chicken sandwich**

 **Tyler: Got it. I'll see you then**

She put away her phone as her father returned with his laptop.

Rudy logged into the cloud and pulled up a folder containing pictures of his parents when they began dating. He said, "Those are your grandparents, Hazel and Evander. I always thought that you had my mother's eyes."

Bonnie slowly scrolled through the pictures. She smiled. "I can see that. I always assumed that I looked more like Mama's side of the family."

"I think you have a healthy mix of both," he replied.

She said, "I have a question that I hope isn't inappropriate. Is your mother mixed race?"

Rudy nodded. "Actually both of my parents are mixed race. My mother is half Jewish and half Black. My father was Black and Afro-Cuban. They met each other in college."

"Mama said that the two of you met in college, too."

He laughed. "That was generous of her. Abigail was in college. I was selling drugs to rich White kids. I was enrolled in the master's program that received very little attention from me. I was on academic probation when I dropped out. School just wasn't my thing."

"Ability or desire?" she asked curiously.

"I have a bachelor's degree in accounting so I was capable of higher learning. I just didn't see a point of getting a master's degree when I knew my life was headed in a different direction. Cameron had put a lot of faith in me. I was on a different path."

Father and daughter browsed several of the digital photo albums before it was time for her to leave. Bonnie glanced at her phone. "I hate to run but it is time for lunch."

Rudy smiled. "I am glad that you stopped by, ketsele. I hope that we can do this again soon."

She stood up and smiled. "Me, too. I enjoyed spending time with you."

He stood and hugged Bonnie. "I'll email you the information for the cloud. That way you can look at the pictures whenever you want."

"Thanks," she replied.

Rudy walked with Bonnie to the door and opened it. "I will see you at dinner."

"Okay. Bye."

Matt and Bonnie took the elevator down to the main floor. He asked, "Do you want me to bring the car around?"

She shook her head. "Nah. Did Tyler text you about lunch?"

They crossed the busy intersection together and walked into the parking garage. He said, "Yeah. He's picking up BBQ for me."

"Oh, that sounds good. I have to get healthy stuff."

Matt chuckled at the look of longing on Bonnie's face. He said, "I'll let you sniff my ribs."

"You ordered ribs? Life is so unfair," she said with a pout.

He unlocked the car and opened the back door for her. "The silver lining is that you're going to have two really awesome babies. That's better than slow smoked BBQ ribs, right?"

Bonnie scowled at him. She climbed into the car and said, "Friends don't taunt friends, Mattie."

He closed her door and then climbed into the driver's seat. "I am only having a little fun."

"That's fine. I completely understand. I mean you need to have all the fun you can get before you spend Christmas with Vicki and Kelly. They are going to eat poor little Davina alive."

Matt looked at her in the rearview mirror. "That was a low blow, Bon. We're spending Christmas with the Lockwoods since Lexi is in town."

Bonnie shrugged and flashed an innocent smile. "I would pay money to see Carol and Kelly spend the entire day together."

He laughed as he drove out of the parking garage. "The trick is to get them into the wine early. They are like best friends once they are drunk."

"I kinda want to witness that now," she joked.

He asked, "Do you want to listen to some music?"

"Yes, please. Do you have anything good?"

"I have a good playlist."

"Good. I think I am going to take a catnap. The music will help." Bonnie's eyes fluttered closed as Halsey started singing. The drive to her beach house would probably take little over an hour because of traffic.

True to her word, Bonnie fell asleep with minimal effort. She was exhausted more often than not lately. Some of the fatigue was caused by the pregnancy. However, the tornado swirling around her certainly wasn't helping. Bonnie was trying to keep all of her balls in the air. She had dropped the first one a few days ago in Damon's office. She let him get under her skin to the point that he got too close to the truth. Stefan had warned her that Damon wasn't going to forget the comments she made in the heat of the moment.


	47. This is Personal

Tyler reclined against the headboard as he watched Bonnie change clothes. He was worried about her. Something had been on her mind since she arrived at the beach house. He had been tempted to ask what was wrong but decided to wait until they were alone. Fortunately, great minds think alike because after lunch Bonnie told Matt that he could knock off early. Matt was happy to have some free time to see Davina. Lately, he had not been able to spend much time with her because of their differing schedules. All of that would change once Bonnie moved into the beach house.

Bonnie's cashmere sweater and leather pants had been a cute ensemble for the doctor's appointment. However, she just wanted to be comfortable now. She could practically hear the fluffy king size bed calling her name. The hour-long nap on the ride to the beach house had been an unsatisfying tease. Bonnie planned to get a much longer nap after she talked to Tyler. She finished changing into a pair of black shorts and a tank top before joining him on the bed. Bonnie sat beside him in a modified lotus position as she pulled her braids into a ponytail.

He couldn't help but to smile as he watched Bonnie. She looked beautiful but also genuinely happy. Just a few months ago, Tyler had started to believe that he might never see his friend smile again. She had been miserable living in the Salvatore Manor. Sarah had been her only source of joy. He was eagerly awaiting Giuseppe's death because of what he did to Bonnie. However, the decrepit psychopath had unwittingly set all of this in motion. Tyler didn't know if Bonnie would have found the strength to leave that toxic family if not for Giuseppe's actions or Damon's inaction for that matter.

Bonnie stopped fidgeting with her hair and met Tyler's intense gaze. He had noticed her mood from the moment she stepped foot into the house. She wasn't really surprised because Tyler was hands down her best friend. It had been that way for as long as she could remember. Sometimes she missed the good old days when she, Tyler, and Stefan were the Three Musketeers. They gave the Manor's staff fits as they tore throw the old house like a trio of tornadoes. However, her friendship with both men began changing the moment that she married Damon. She had no doubt that Stefan loved her. He behaved as if she were truly his little sister.

Yet Bonnie never allowed herself to forget that Damon was his older brother. She knew from experience that blood always sided with blood. On the other hand, her relationship with Tyler had gone in the other direction. They grew closer as the walls of her prison rose higher. He became the one person in the world with whom she could share her sorrow. He was also the first person she thought of when anything good happened in her life. Tyler was the first person she told about her pregnancy. He had been happy for her despite how much he despised Damon. The unconditional love that Bonnie received from Tyler acted as a healing balm.

Tyler gazed into Bonnie's eyes with a worried expression. He found her hesitancy to be disconcerting. Bonnie never shied away from expressing herself with him. He always had her back and that would never change. Tyler reached out and smoothed a comforting hand down her bare arm. "Are you going to make me ask you?"

Bonnie sought out the Saint Christopher's medal around her neck. It had become something of a nervous tic. However, the simple action always seemed to reassure her. She shook her head. "No. I need to talk to you about something important but I am worried. I don't want to fight or argue with you, Ty."

Tyler moved closer to Bonnie and brushed his lips against hers. He wanted to say that he wasn't Damon. He wouldn't fly off the handle because they had differing opinions. However, he knew that it would be cruel to throw Bonnie's dysfunctional marriage in her face. He said, "Just talk to me, Bon. Whatever is going on, we will figure it out together. I promise that I will listen to what you have to say instead of just reacting."

In a few short months, Bonnie would fulfill her duty to the Benedetto and Salvatore families. She would give birth to a healthy son and daughter. Damon would have his male heir and she would have her freedom. Freedom was an abstract concept to Bonnie because she had never experienced it. Other people had been pulling her strings as if she were little more than a marionette her entire life. She recognized that her grandmother's intentions toward her were not malicious. Sheila only wanted to complete the machinations that her mother had begun decades ago. Suffering under the love of Giuseppe had only strengthened Sheila's resolve. Grinding him to dust and stealing his organization out from under his heirs was the only way she could achieve anything resembling remuneration. She had truly believed that Damon would grow into his role of husband. Sheila had faith in the boy that she helped raise. Perhaps he would become a better man with time but Bonnie was done waiting.

She intended to use her newfound freedom to go after what she wanted—Tyler Lockwood. Bonnie loved him and she knew that he felt the same about her. She knew that keeping the relationship a secret would be next to impossible. Damon hadn't been able to keep his affairs quiet because there were too many eyes on him. Bonnie would encounter the same problem. Tongues would wag and before long, Damon would be seething with rage. She had not forgotten when he threatened to slit the throat of any man that became her lover. He would lose his mind if that man turned out to be one of his subordinates. Therefore, she would have to construct a firewall around Tyler. She needed Damon to know that killing him would be met with swift action from her family.

While managing Damon was at the top of her list, she did have another pressing problem to address. Tyler was her best friend. She hoped that in time he would become her significant other. Unfortunately, he was also a member of her organization. The two friends were usually in lockstep with one another. However, she had no clue how to navigate the situation if they were at odds. In a normal relationship, there would be some sort of compromise. Bonnie would never pull rank on Tyler in their romantic relationship. However, sometimes compromises weren't possible when it came to matters of business. Bonnie was dealing with such a situation right now. She dreaded the idea of telling him about the new plan for Niklaus. Bonnie knew that he wouldn't agree to it straight away. He wanted to rip out Niklaus' throat.

"I have made a decision about how to proceed with Niklaus. I know that you want him dead or in prison but he is worth more to me on the street. I want to turn him into an asset for our organization. I have already spoken to my father. The details are still vague but essentially I will save Niklaus right before the feds swoop in for the bust. Before any of that happens, you are going to take a couple of guys and jump Klaus tomorrow night. I will lure him somewhere private. It won't be hard to convince him to meet with me. You can do whatever you want short of killing him," she explained.

Tyler took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. His initial impulse was to track Klaus down and blow his brains out. He didn't care about the fall out. He knew that death was a likely outcome when he became a made man. Death didn't scare him but losing Bonnie did.

Bonnie anxiously watched as Tyler mulled over everything. She could see the veins bulging in his neck. In a word, he was furious. She kept waiting for him to explode but it never came.

Tyler had been sitting beside Bonnie in complete silence for well over five minutes. He stopped himself every time that he considered responding to her. If he was being objective, Tyler could see how Niklaus was a chess piece better left on the board. However, he couldn't be objective in this situation because that animal had hurt Bonnie. He had hurt her in such a way that she hid it from him for years. After all this time, she still carried that pain around with her. She still had nightmares about what he did to her. A few years in prison wasn't nearly enough to absolve Klaus of his crimes but it was better than letting him roam free.

She took Tyler's hand cautiously as if she was afraid that he would pull away from her. She interlaced their fingers and said, "Talk to me, Ty. Tell me what you are thinking. Please…"

He hated hearing the quiver in her voice. Bonnie was obviously anticipating that he would push her away. He said, "I love you, Bonnie."

"I love you, too," she replied immediately.

"Let me finish, Bon…"

She nodded and tried to pull her hand away but Tyler held on tight. Bonnie looked down at their joined hands.

"I don't like this fucking idea. I think Klaus is a psychopath. No, a psychopath is too generous. He is a sexual predator and a psychopath that also happens to be obsessed with you. I think that you playing his savior is dangerous and reckless. What happens if he wants to be more than just your good friend and asset?"

Bonnie felt the venom in Tyler's words but she knew that they came from a place of concern. She hated that her pain was hurting the people that she loved. "I'm not a 16-year-old girl anymore, Ty. I'm not going to let him…"

"I'm not saying that you would, Bon. I am saying Klaus is violent and unpredictable. He is going to see this as a second chance to be with you. Your separation from Damon isn't what I would call a state secret. Word is getting around that you are staying with your mother. The chatter will only get louder once you have moved in here. Klaus can be charming. According to Vicki, girls love those fucking dimples of his. He is used to women falling all over themselves for him. He is going to believe that with a little time, effort, and charm that you will give him another shot. When that doesn't happen, he will turn on you because that is his nature. He is going to hurt you and then I am going to peel the skin off every inch of his fucking body! I get that you are the boss. I am not trying to disrespect your position. I just don't think being the boss means putting your safety on the line. Miss Sheila was a hell of a woman but she should have called the whole thing off the first time Giuseppe put his greasy fucking hands on her. Instead, she spent countless years fighting an asshole twice her size. I mean fucking hell, I will never get your screams out of my head when you called the night he pushed her through that glass door. You thought he had fucking killed her. You couldn't stop talking about the blood everywhere."

She thought about their 'reunion' at Elijah's house. Klaus had been incensed by her attempt to avoid him all evening. He was under the influence at the time but Bonnie believed drugs and alcohol only made you more yourself. It cleared away all of those pesky inhibitions that usually masked a person's worst impulses. Tyler was right to be concerned for her safety. Klaus was bound to lash out when he realized that she was never going to be with him. It occurred to her that perhaps there was a compromise to be had here. She had promised herself that she would be different than her grandmother was. Bonnie knew that sacrifices came with the territory but perhaps there was a way to get what she wanted without putting herself in the line of fire. She could take care of herself. She was always armed now and wouldn't hesitate to put Klaus down if he crossed the line with her again. However, she didn't need to put herself in that position.

Tyler relaxed when he saw that Bonnie was reevaluating the situation. Even if he was unable to change her mind, he felt justified in trying his best. He didn't envy her position. Bonnie was responsible for her family's legacy and success. She was responsible for the lives of the men and women that worked for her family. She was also responsible for the assets her family had cultivated over the years. Every decision she made had to be deliberate and conscious of the risks and consequences that everyone faced. He gently ran his thumb over her wrist. He needed her to know that he wasn't walking away if they disagreed about something.

It was Bonnie's turn to sit in quiet contemplation. Tyler had given her a lot to consider. She smiled to herself because this was the benefit of trusting someone implicitly. She probably would have disregarded someone else's concern. However, she knew that Tyler respected her position as boss. She had nothing to prove to him. Moreover, he knew just how terrible things had gotten between Sheila and Giuseppe. Not even Big John knew the kind of violence her grandmother had suffered over the years. Bonnie was willing to consider that perhaps she was playing this situation the wrong way. If she was, then perhaps there was a scenario that would satisfy them both. She was reminded of her great-grandparents and her great-great grandparents. Both couples were so successful because two heads were better than one. Sheila had been an amazing leader but she shouldered it all alone. Maybe she would have killed Giuseppe years ago if she had someone like Tyler in her corner.

Tyler was perfectly aware that dating the boss was a bad idea. He also knew that their romantic relationship might crash and burn. He didn't care. Neither of them would ever be able to move on until they investigated what was between them. A small part of them would always wonder what might have been.

Finally, Bonnie released Tyler's hand and straddled his lap. She took his face in both of her hands and kissed him urgently. The taste of BBQ sauce and rum lingered on his tongue as it slipped between her parted lips. Bonnie was grateful that they had found a way to talk about this without getting into a huge argument. She didn't have the energy to fight with Tyler. It would hurt too much. In hindsight, Bonnie realized that she should have never doubted him.

He slowly pulled away from the kiss and asked, "What was that for?"

"Thank you for being you and for loving and respecting me the way you do."

"How could I do anything else?' he asked seriously.

She shook her head. "I just appreciate it. I also realize that you may have a point about interacting so closely with Niklaus. I don't want to give him false hope. I don't want to be in a position where I have to kill him. There is no way to gauge the possible collateral damage."

Tyler rested his hands on Bonnie's hips as he looked into her green eyes. He said, "I like where this is headed so far."

She laughed softly. "Don't get too excited. I still intend to use Niklaus until he becomes useless or more trouble than he is worth. However, there is no reason that I should have to run point on this. I will still step in to save him from the DEA's sting, but I will make someone else his handler. I am thinking that you and Lucy would be the perfect tag team to keep Niklaus in line. In the beginning, I will accompany you both for meetings with him. Then as time goes on, I will slowly drop out of frame. I promise that I will never be alone with him again."

Tyler wasn't in love with the idea but it was a far cry better than her first plan. He and Lucy would be able to handle Klaus. Lucy was smart, pretty, and handy with a gun. Tyler could play the fool for Klaus. The bastard liked feeling superior to other people.

He asked, "Do I still get to kick the shit out of him tomorrow night?"

Bonnie nodded and toyed with the hair at the base of his skull. She smirked and replied, "Short of killing the son of a bitch, I don't care what you do to him. Just wear a mask. I doubt that he will want to work with one of the people that jumped him. Pride and all that..."

He snorted. "I am sure that Brady has a balaclava that I can borrow. He is going to be like a kid on Christmas morning when I tell him about tomorrow night. He hates Klaus."

She wasn't surprised that Tyler planned to take Brady with him. Uncle and nephew were incredibly close. Furthermore, Bonnie couldn't think of a person more qualified to throw an old school beat down. Brady was a skilled assassin for the family but he started out busting kneecaps and breaking arms. She said, "That seems to be a popular sentiment. People either love Niklaus or hate him. There is no middle ground with him."

"You can put me firmly in the hate column."

She said, "Yes, I got that impression. I am sorry that this is such short notice. I am going to let you choose the place. Just let me know before tomorrow evening so that I can get Klaus there on time."

Tyler was already running prospective locations through his mind. He knew all of the Bennett properties by heart. He wanted a place where no one would think of calling the police no matter what was seen or heard. His ultimate goal was to break one of Klaus' limbs. He didn't have a preference of which limb was broken but he wanted to leave the bastard with a reminder that wouldn't heal in a matter of days.

"Don't worry about it, Bon. I will figure something out by tonight," he promised.

"I am glad that is settled."

"Me, too," he replied.

Bonnie decided to take advantage of her position on Tyler's lap. She kissed him softly but it quickly grew more intense. She moved to kissing Tyler's neck. She had the urge to give leave a hickey on his neck, but knew that it was unwise.

Tyler closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Bonnie's soft lips on his neck. He couldn't help but think that she smelled good enough to eat. She smelled like vanilla. "I really want to be a gentleman right now. I also really want to cop a feel."

Bonnie giggled softly as she grabbed Tyler's right hand and placed it on her butt. "Better?"

He squeezed her butt and said, "It's not exactly what I had in mind but I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth."

She stopped kissing his neck and lifted an eyebrow at him. "Am I the horse in this scenario?"

"Maybe but you are a sexy horse," he joked.

Bonnie pinched both of his nipples and twisted them.

He growled playfully but the move actually hurt. He said, "I'm sorry!"

She released his nipples and grinned. "That's better. Your game needs some serious fine-tuning. Comparing a woman to a horse is just not a good look, Ty."

Tyler flipped Bonnie onto her back carefully. He straddled her and slid his hands underneath her shirt. His fingers ghosted over her breasts. He asked, "Did you really just give me a purple nurple?"

She giggled and shook her head. She said, "No. It was just a little love pinch."

"Good because I would hate to have to return the favor," he teased.

Bonnie eyes went wide and her hands moved up to shield her nipples from his fingers. "Don't. They're already sore."

"Really?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I am sorry that they're hurting. Do you want me to kiss them better?"he asked with a smile that was downright lecherous.

Bonnie bit her lip and said, "I am sure that you don't have an ulterior motive at all."

Tyler feigned innocence as his fingers lightly grazed her nipples. "I just want to make you feel better, Bon."

She rolled her eyes and said, "Liar."

"Okay. I want you to feel better and I want to see you shirtless," he confessed.

Bonnie sat up just enough to pull off her tank top and moved to unhook her bra.

"May I?"

She rolled her eyes but let Tyler unhook her bra with a quick flick of his fingers. He had years of practice to perfect the move. She knew that he was quite proud of his skills. Bonnie was fully prepared to mock him but instead she let out a breathy moan as soon as his lips closed around her nipple.

The two friends had been making out like teenagers whenever they had time alone. However, it never seemed to be the right time or place to take it any further.

"Ty?"

He reluctantly pulled away from Bonnie's breasts. He looked up to meet her green eyes. "Yeah?"

"Sarah is probably going to spend Christmas night at the Manor with Damon. I was thinking that maybe you and I could spend the night together here," she suggested.

Tyler made a habit of staying late at Abby's house. However, he always left once Bonnie fell asleep. They couldn't risk anyone catching wind of their relationship just yet. "Sure."

Bonnie cleared her throat as she tried to figure out how to put her request into words. She was perfectly comfortable killing her enemies with her own two hands but she was at a loss when it came to discussing intimate matters.

"What's wrong, Bon?" he asked. Tyler lightly rubbed her hip.

She smiled a little. "Nothing is wrong. I want to have sex."

Tyler froze because her reply was unexpected. "Now?" he asked.

She laughed and said, "No, I don't mean now. I mean…I wouldn't say no to right now but…"

"You mean Sunday night when we are here alone?" he asked.

Bonnie groaned and asked, "Could I be more awkward about this?"

He chuckled and said, "Yes. We have had some very awkward moments."

She joined him in laughing. "We were kids then. It was supposed to be awkward and fumbling."

"I didn't fumble," he argued.

Bonnie shook her head with a mirthful smile. "You were just as nervous as I was."

"I was nervous because I thought your grams was going to catch me with my hand up her granddaughter's skirt," he replied.

She laughed softly. "Grams wouldn't have killed you. She loved you. They probably would have shipped you off to Milazzo for a few years."

Tyler rolled onto his back and said, "You're right. My old man and Miss Sheila would have found one of your pretty cousins for me to marry."

Bonnie rolled onto her side so that she could look at him. "Pretty?"

He grinned at the obvious jealous streak. He kissed her softly and said, "You come from a very attractive family. I haven't met a Benedetto woman that wasn't absolutely stunning. However, you are by far the most beautiful."

She sought out Tyler's hand and interlaced their fingers. "That's better than you calling me a horse."

Tyler chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"So Sunday night…"

He said, "Sunday night I am going to cook a nice meal for you. We are going to listen to some music. Then we are going to make love for the first time in this very comfortable bed. Deal?"

"You don't have to make dinner for me."

Tyler stroked her cheek and said, "This isn't some one night stand, Bon. You are worth the wait and the effort."

Bonnie rested her forehead against his chest because her cheeks were burning. "Why do you say things like that?"

"I say it because you deserve to hear it. You should take a nap. You need to be rested before dinner tonight."

She studied his expression. "What's so special about dinner? I am just getting dinner with Sarah, my parents, and my siblings."

He groaned and said, "Abby is going to murder me if I ruin the surprise."

"Ty…."

"Your mom and Cesare rented out your favorite place for the evening. She's invited people she thinks are important to celebrate your pregnancy."

She groaned and dropped back on the bed. "How many people are we talking about?"

"I don't have any firm numbers but I know my family and Matt's family are invited."

"I told Mama that I didn't want a party," she argued uselessly.

Tyler said, "I know, Bon. Abby is just trying to be supportive. She doesn't want you to miss out on celebrating an important milestone just because your relationship with Damon is complicated."

Bonnie sighed but part of her appreciated Abby's meddling. She had felt as if her head was underwater from the moment Dr. Huerta confirmed the pregnancy. The risk factors for being underweight had sucked any joy out of the news. It only grew worse once Giuseppe attacked her while Damon was off with Katherine. She felt as if the universe was trying to stop her from carrying her pregnancy to term. Ensuring that she had a healthy pregnancy superseded any sort of enjoyment. However, things were calmer now and she was healthier. It couldn't hurt to celebrate just a little with the people that she loved. She trusted that Abby wouldn't invite anyone that would run back to Damon.

"Fine but I am having two desserts," she finally conceded.

He chuckled and pulled Bonnie into his arms. "I am sure that can be arranged. Abby is going all out for this evening. Now are you going to take a nap so that you are rested for tonight? Benedettos and Loiaconos know how to shut a place down when we are together."

She asked, "Are you going to stay with me?"

"Where the hell else would I go?" he asked. "Do you want to be the big spoon or the little spoon?"

Bonnie laughed quietly and said, "Little spoon."

They shifted around the bed until they were underneath the covers. He wrapped his arms around her and rested them on her stomach. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah. It's perfect."


	48. Piercing the Veil

A/N: I love writing this story and sharing it with so many amazing people. I appreciate the feedback even when it is not positive. I have said on many occasions that Bamon is endgame for this story. I also said that it would take time to get there. I did a helpful Q&A at the beginning of Chapter 43. If there are any new questions feel free to leave them in a review or PM. I will answer them. Thanks and enjoy.

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Damon sat alone in the waiting room of Dr. Correa's office. As promised, even the receptionist had already cleared out for the evening. He appreciated the level of privacy that Dr. Correa was providing them. Fortunately, she had experience treating secretive mobsters because Zacharias was once her patient. He glanced at his watch for the third time in as many minutes. The appointment was set to begin in fifteen minutes but Bonnie had not arrived yet. He was worried that she might have changed her mind about seeing Dr. Correa with him. Damon thought that their interaction yesterday had been positive. However, he was beginning to understand that things were never what they appeared where Bonnie was concerned.

He had tried in vain to focus on business in the hours leading up to the appointment. However, his thoughts kept straying to Bonnie. More than anything, he wanted his wife and daughter to move back into the manor. He wanted his family to be whole once more. Yet he couldn't get Giuseppe's dire warning out of his head. His father had called Bonnie dangerous. Part of Damon wanted to dismiss Giuseppe's blatant attempt to manipulate him. On the other hand, he knew in his heart that there was at least a kernel of truth buried within the old man's words. For example, Bonnie was supposed to spend yesterday afternoon helping her cousin look at houses. Instead, she left the OB/GYN appointment and went straight to the Benedetto Sea Carriers' office. The business was ostensibly a legitimate international shipping company based in Sicily. However, the Benedetto family used the company's success to hide their illegal smuggling activities.

Yesterday, Damon learned that Bonnie had conducted a small meeting with the highest-ranking members of the operation. She had informed them of the change in leadership. She put her cousin, Cesare, in charge of the day-to-day operation. Cesare was the obvious choice because he had years of experience of working at the company's headquarters in Sicily. However, Bonnie had assured everyone that from now on every major decision would run through her. Damon still couldn't believe that she had kept her word about taking over the operation. Bonnie hadn't even thought to speak to Damon about it first. She had simply taken what had always belonged to her. The brash move irked Damon because it made him appear weak. However, he was more concerned that he seemed to know very little about Bonnie. His innocent little wife had obviously been planning for this moment for quite some time.

Damon managed to keep his cool about the situation, but Alaric was furious enough for the entire family. He had made a complete ass of himself last night by storming over to Abby's house. He insisted that she must have known what Bonnie was planning since the girl was living under her roof. Abby had snidely reminded him that she was a Benedetto and couldn't care less about the Salvatore family's rise or fall. The two had argued in the middle of the driveway until Cesare put a stop to it. Apparently, Alaric's temper tantrum was making them late for a dinner hosted in Bonnie's honor. Damon thought the entire fiasco was a master class in how not to handle the situation. However, he knew that Alaric and Abby's problems ran much deeper than which family was running the smuggling operation.

Damon raised his arm to look at his watch once more but stopped short when he heard soft footsteps thudding against the slate floor. He stood up from his chair when he saw Bonnie turning the corner with Matt Donovan at her back. His wife looked harried but beautiful as she made her way over to him. Damon's eyes were immediately drawn to her cleavage. Bonnie's hunter green silk blouse had a few buttons undone. He had noticed that Bonnie had been dressing differently since their separation. He didn't like it.

He smiled at her. "Hi, Bunny."

Bonnie stopped in front of Damon and offered a half-smile. "Hi. I am sorry for cutting it so close. I adopted a couple families for Christmas through the church. Father Finn asked me to meet with the families when they came to pick up the boxes."

Damon felt like kicking himself when he realized that he had broken another promise to Bonnie. Before Thanksgiving, he promised that he would pay for the turkeys and hams that the church passed out around Christmas. He had no doubt that Bonnie had made the arrangements on her own knowing that Damon would forget again. His life had been one disaster after another lately, but that was hardly an excuse. Certainly, Bonnie viewed Damon's forgetfulness as another sign of his disinterest. He said, "There is no need to apologize. You are still early. How are you feeling?"

Matt moved away from the couple to give them a semblance of privacy. Damon and Bonnie were painfully awkward these days. He had no interest in watching their strange two-step. He sat down across the room and picked up a copy of _National Geographic_.

"I am doing well. How are you?" she asked.

"I am good, too. Do you want to sit down? We still have a few minutes before the appointment starts."

Bonnie tugged at her leather pencil skirt as she sat down. "Thanks."

Damon sat beside her. He asked, "How is Sarah?"

She smiled at the mention of their daughter. "She is happy. Mama is taking Sarah, Cooper, Savannah, and some of my younger cousins to see _Frozen On Ice_. The show starts at seven o'clock. Sarah is dressed as Elsa tonight. Do you want to see some of the pictures that Mama sent me?"

Damon nodded. "Yeah."

Bonnie pulled the phone out of her purse and pulled up the pictures. Sarah was wearing an Elsa costume including the blond wig. She flipped through the pictures for Damon. "Doesn't she look like a little princess?" Bonnie gushed.

"Yes, she does," Damon said with a smile. "Could you have Sarah call me before bed tonight? I would love to hear about her trip to see Elsa."

She said, "I don't know if Sarah will still be awake when they get home. It will probably be after ten o'clock if you factor in the drive back from Los Angeles. I can have her call you in the morning before you go to work. Would that be okay?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'd like that."

"Okay. Sarah will be excited to tell you about every single second. She goes a mile a minute once you get her started."

"Yeah, she does," he chuckled.

Bonnie asked, "How is your little brother adjusting?"

"Victor is doing well. At least I hope that is the case. He is pretty quiet but Stefan and I have been talking to him in French. He responds more when we do. The kid is an early riser, too. He was up at five o'clock this morning. We watched cartoons in bed before I had to start getting ready for work."

"I think it is great that you are taking care of your brother, Damon."

Damon said, "Well, he needs me. Sabine is recovering and my old man is still in the wind."

Bonnie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Tuesday morning, Stefan had told her that Giuseppe had someone drop the boy off at the Salvatore Manor. However, she knew the truth. Bonnie was the one that had Giuseppe wrapped in a pretty red bow and dropped on their doorstep. She wasn't sure if Damon would have ever located his father without her intervention. Unfortunately, she couldn't take credit without exposing Senior's allegiance to her family.

"I know that Victor needs you but not everyone in your position would have taken him in without question. I mean you could have just as easily pawned him off on Zacharias. You are a good father and a good brother, Damon," Bonnie said earnestly.

He had never considered giving Victor to his uncle. Zach was a good father but Damon believed that his baby brother was his responsibility. Besides, he had enough family members and nannies to ensure that Victor wanted for nothing. "Thank you."

She said, "I talked to Sarah about Christmas. She was a little confused about why we couldn't spend it together."

Damon wondered if Bonnie was going to renege on the agreement that she had made with Rose. He had been worried that she would have second thoughts about spending Christmas Day without Sarah. He said, "Oh. Is she okay?"

Bonnie nodded. "She's fine. I just explained that I wanted to spend Christmas with my mom and dad. Sarah is excited about spending the night at the manor. She has already started telling me what she wants to pack for her overnight trip."

He relaxed after hearing that Sarah was excited to spend time with him. Being away from his daughter was difficult. Damon had been away for weeks at a time on business in the past but this felt different. He chuckled. "What does she need to pack? Most of her things are still in her room at the Manor."

"My parents have been very generous with gifts for Sarah. They are spoiling her but I haven't had the heart to put a stop to it just yet. I think my dad must have bought out a Halloween store's entire stock of Disney Princess costumes. Sarah wants to pack them so that she can play dress up with Bella."

"It's good that Sarah is getting to spend time with your parents. She needs grandparents to spoil her a bit. If I have any say in the matter, she will never lay eyes on Lilly and I would never consider allowing Giuseppe around her again," he promised.

Bonnie hoped that Damon would get on with killing the bastard sooner rather than later. However, she understood that he had thirty-one years of repressed anger that he needed to release. She couldn't imagine the kind of damage Damon and his uncles had inflicted on Giuseppe since Monday night. Moreover, he probably wouldn't whack the old man until after Christmas. There was no sense in tainting the holidays for the children. They all loved the demented man. The children would undoubtedly take his death hard. Bonnie was concerned about how Sarah would deal with Giuseppe's death. She had seen the worst of her grandfather but that hadn't erased her love for him.

Across the room, a door opened and out walked an older Latina woman. The gray streaks in her hair suggested that she was at least in her sixties. Her dark brown eyes fell onto the estranged couple. "Good evening, Mr. & Mrs. Salvatore. You can come into my office if you are ready."

Damon looked at Bonnie. "Do you need a minute?"

She shook her head as she stood up. "No, I am ready."

They walked into the room together and sat down on a dark blue 3-seat sofa. Bonnie placed her purse beside her to prevent Damon from sitting too close to her.

"My name is Dr. Marianna Correa. Before we get started, I want to explain a little bit about what I do here. I am a psychologist that specializes in individual therapy and marriage and family therapy. I believe in the eclectic therapeutic approach, which is to say that I don't subscribe to a single philosophy. I take the portions of different philosophies that I find best suited to treating my clients. Have you ever seen a counselor or a psychiatrist before?"

Damon waited impatiently as Dr. Correa went through her introductory spiel for Bonnie. She had recited the same information for him at the beginning of his first session with her. Damon understood why she needed explain everything for Bonnie but he wanted to get started. He had no way of knowing how long Bonnie would cooperate with this. It wasn't as if he had goodwill on his side to compel her to stay.

Bonnie nodded. "I saw a psychologist as a teenager because I was having difficulty sleeping at night. I witnessed something traumatic. I had weekly sessions for about three months."

Damon's eyebrows furrowed in concern. He didn't know that Bonnie had seen a psychiatrist in the past. He wondered what traumatic event could have made Sheila send her to a professional. She had been almost as old-school as Damon's father had been. They didn't make a habit of telling outsiders their problems because it was a sign of weakness.

Marianna asked, "Did you and the psychiatrist reach the termination phase of the therapeutic relationship or…"

She said, "When I first started seeing Dr. Monroe she promised me confidentiality. However, I found out that she was relaying everything I said to my grandmother. I refused to see her after that."

Dr. Correa said, "I am very sorry that your first experience with counseling was negative. However, I will be upfront with you as I was with Damon. Normally, I do not like treating married couples separately. In the rare cases where I make an exception it is with the agreement that there are no secrets. I require an open dialogue between the three of us or it will feel as if there are alliances."

"I don't anticipate having any solo sessions with you but I appreciate your candor."

Dr. Correa found a comfortable position in the chair across from the couple. She balanced a pen and notebook on her knee. She said, "I like to start off each session by posing an open-ended question. Why are we here today?"

Damon licked his lips and glanced at Bonnie. He was worried about upsetting her again. However, he had questions and she was the only one with the answers. He said, "Monday evening Bonnie came to visit me at my office. I wanted to apologize for how I behaved towards her a couple days prior. I felt that apology would carry more weight if I was completely honest with her. I confessed that I had relapsed. I have been using cocaine sporadically for a few weeks now. Bonnie became justifiably angry at that revelation. While we argued about the situation, I became concerned that perhaps I had harmed my wife during one of my earlier binges. I asked Bonnie if that was the case but she left my office very upset."

Bonnie looked at Damon and said, "Stefan told me how broken up you were after we fought Monday. I am sorry for leaving you with the impression that you might have physically harmed me in some way. You have dozens of faults that I can name off the top of my head but being physically or sexually abusive is not one of them. Never once have I feared that you would hurt me that way."

After much soul-searching, Damon had come to the same conclusion a few days ago. Yet he was still grateful to hear his wife exonerate him in her own words. Unfortunately, they were at an awkward place where Bonnie still needed to address the root of her emotional outburst. Telling her about his relapse with cocaine had opened a festering wound that Damon never knew existed.

"Thank you for clearing that up. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had hurt you, or any woman, that way. I have tried so hard to avoid becoming that cruel or monstrous."

Bonnie hated looking into his expressive blue eyes. The old adage about the eyes being windows to the soul was true for Damon. Rage was the only emotion that he displayed freely. There was space for rage and anger in the overly masculine world of the mafia. He tried to mask the hurt, pain, and disappointment that he so often felt. However, Bonnie knew him well and he couldn't hide from her. She had always been able to see through his mask.

She said, "I know, Damon. It is one of the reasons that I agreed to this counseling session. You didn't deserve to doubt yourself in that way. I know how hard you have struggled to be the antithesis of Giuseppe. Even in your worst moments, you could never come close to his vileness."

Dr. Correa sat across from the couple in silence. She scribbled a few pointed notes on the notepad. Seeing Damon first had provided her with crucial background information. She knew enough about his father that interrupting for clarification was not necessary.

Damon took Bonnie's hand because he was afraid that she would flee the room after his question. Monday evening she had run from his office as if her life had depended on it. He had never seen Bonnie so afraid or unraveled. She had accidentally allowed a secret to slip out in the heat of the moment. "Did someone else hurt you that way, Bunny?"

Marianna watched the young woman closely and made note of her body language. It looked as if Bonnie wanted to fold in on herself as a means of protection. She would have to mediate this conversation carefully or Bonnie would shut down completely. She knew that wouldn't be an easy feat because Damon was anxious. He had been starving for answers since Monday. While she understood his position, Bonnie's welfare took precedence in this situation.

The young woman swallowed thickly and looked down at their joined hands. She realized for the first time that Damon was still wearing his wedding band. Bonnie knew that it was ridiculous but she was afraid to tell him the truth. Even though she was ready to move on with her life, she still feared that Damon would see her as dirty and damaged. She saw herself that way no matter how much Abby and Tyler tried to convince her otherwise. Bonnie didn't know how to heal or move on from what Klaus did to her. Her only option was to bury the pain as deep as possible so that she could function. She had a business and a family that required her strength.

She nodded. "Yes."

Since the fight in his office, Damon had hoped with all of his heart that he had misunderstood Bonnie. The idea of anyone laying a finger on her was maddening. He loved Bonnie. Damon loved her long before they were married. She was his family and he should have protected her. Unfortunately, he hadn't known that she needed protecting from anything. His first suspect had been Giuseppe. Everyone knew about the man's sexual proclivities. However, Damon had cleared his father of any wrongdoing after days of mental and physical torture. Giuseppe had trained his brothers and Damon too well to resist their technical skill for any length of time. He had already spilled invaluable information that would help Damon steward their organization once Giuseppe's death was announced to the public.

The older woman jotted down a few notes. She looked at Bonnie and asked, "Do you feel comfortable discussing this topic, Bonnie?"

Damon glared at Marianna. He was worried that he would never get another chance at honest answers from Bonnie. He had learned the hard way that the girl he married was like Fort Knox. Damon had a limited time before she locked the vault again.

Bonnie huffed out a bitter laugh. "I am not sure that comfortable is the word that I would use in this situation. However, I am willing to discuss this topic under one condition."

He heard the bitterness in her voice but her dewy eyes told the real story. He asked, "What is your condition?"

"My pain and suffering belong to me and no else. I don't owe you anything. I will talk about this situation once and I will never speak of it again. Not ever, Damon. I will only share what I am comfortable telling you," she swore in an unwavering voice.

He nodded. "I understand. I don't want to poke and prod at something that is obviously painful for you. I promise that I will never bring this up again, Bunny. I just…I want to understand what happened."

Bonnie took a deep breath. She had spent most of the day deciding how much of the truth to give Damon. Bonnie knew that her husband wouldn't be able to handle the whole truth with any sort of grace. While she feared that he would think less of her, Bonnie knew that he would want to kill Niklaus. His pride wouldn't allow him to sit idle. Niklaus' actions weren't just a violation of Bonnie, it would be perceived as an obvious sign of disrespect towards Damon. The two men struggled to be civil now with all of Klaus' skeletons safely tucked into the closet. Mason had told her about the two idiots engaging in a physical altercation the night John died.

"Something happened to me when I was 16-years-old. A much older family friend took advantage of me but it was more than that. For a long time, I didn't really know how to classify it. He never penetrated my vagina with his penis. He preferred oral sex and digital penetration. I never asked him not to touch me. I never asked him to stop. He never threatened me."

Damon grew more tense with each word she spoke. He couldn't believe that Bonnie had hidden something like this from him. Even if he wasn't a good husband, Damon thought that Bonnie had at least trusted him as a teenager.

Marianna asked, "Did this man ever use physical violence against you?"

"I was afraid of him because he had a notorious temper. He could be lethal to his adversaries, but there was only one occasion where he was physically violent with me. He was so out of it at the time. He had spent days binging on cocaine, prescription pills, and alcohol. He was in a really bad place emotionally. He begged for my forgiveness the next day when he realized that he had gone too far. It was all so confusing to me. I couldn't tell anyone. I was afraid of so many things at the time. The only person I trusted was my priest. I went to him to ask for forgiveness and guidance. He told me that God wouldn't punish me because of what this man was doing to me. I didn't believe him because I would orgasm when this older man was assaulting me. I thought it meant that on some level I was enjoying what he was doing. I know better now," she explained as tears slid down her cheeks.

Dr. Correa picked up a box of tissues passed it to Bonnie. Then she hurriedly scribbled down details and stray observations. She hadn't known what to expect when Zacharias explained the situation but her imagination hadn't done this justice. She noted how the young woman seemingly made excuses for the man's violence. "Are you still in contact with this person? You mentioned that he was a family friend."

Bonnie knew that lying was the only option at this point. "No, I haven't seen him in a few years."

Damon's mind devoured each of Bonnie's painstakingly spoken words. Her revelation split him in two. On the one hand, seeing Bonnie in so much obvious pain broke his heart. He wanted to comfort her and make it better somehow, but their relationship was in such a strange place. On the other hand, he wanted to learn this 'man's' identity so that he could introduce him to the true meaning of suffering. Damon would make what they did to Giuseppe look like a spa day. He tightened his hold on Bonnie's hand because he didn't know what else to do in that moment.

Bonnie blotted away her tears with a tissue. She felt nauseous.

Damon struggled to find the right thing to say. "I'm sorry that someone hurt you that way, Bunny."

Marianna could see that Damon was ready to pounce on the emotional young woman. She decided to steer the conversation to smoother waters. She asked, "How long did this abuse occur?"

"It happened over a two month period. It wasn't frequent because getting me alone wasn't exactly an easy feat," she replied.

Damon's mind raced as he tried to think of someone that would have had that sort of access to Bonnie. Sheila was incredibly protective of her granddaughter. She didn't often let the girl out of her sight without a trusted chaperone. He personally knew the men that used to serve as Bonnie's bodyguards. Damon would have known if their tastes skewed young. "Why didn't you ever tell me? I would have protected you! I would have made that son of a bitch pay!"

Bonnie recoiled at Damon's anger. She tugged her hand out off his tightening grip. She said, "Why would I tell you? You called me a slut and whore because I was out at a club wearing a dress you didn't like. I know how men are. You fuck anything that moves but your wife has to be innocent, pure, and pious. If I told you the truth…you would have looked at me differently. Maybe you wouldn't have even agreed to marry me because I had been sullied. Not that marrying you turned out to be anything but fucking heartbreak. Sarah and twins are the only good things I will take away from this experience."

Marianna said, "It might be a good idea to take a few deep breaths to calm down. I understand that this is a highly emotional situation. However, this is supposed to be a conversation and not an argument."

Damon barreled right through her warning. He demanded, "What the fuck are you talking about? Sullied? Is that what you really think of me? Do you really think that I am such a Neanderthal that I would blame you? You think that I would judge you?"

Bonnie scoffed at his indignant tone. She asked, "What have you shown me to the contrary? Short of slapping me around you are just like most of the men in this life. You screw around and humiliate me. Everyone knows that you are cheating on me. You completely ignore me unless you want or need something. You cared so little about my needs that you didn't even realize that I used to be petrified when you would come home high. You reeked of booze and your pupils were blown to all hell. You reminded me of him, Damon. I used to keep my eyes open while we made love because I was terrified that my mind would play tricks on me. That's the real reason I asked you to stop using cocaine."

Bonnie's words cut into Damon like knives, but that seemed to be the case whenever she spoke the truth about their relationship. For the last four years, he truly thought that he was being a moderately good husband. He tried to be good to Bonnie but now he realized that she had only suffered in silence. Damon felt physically ill as she spoke about the early days of their marriage. He remembered Bonnie being nervous when they made love. Damon had just chalked her nervousness up to inexperience. He couldn't focus on his own failures because he couldn't fix them right now. However, he could right one wrong. He could find the sick fuck that raped Bonnie.

"What's his name?" Damon demanded.

"Damon, be mindful of the conditions that Bonnie laid out beforehand. She may not feel comfortable identifying her abuser right now," Marianna said.

He said, "You can't tell me that someone raped you and think that I wouldn't want to get justice for you!"

Bonnie huffed. "I am not telling you that, Damon. You'll only go and do something stupid."

"Stupid? Some pervert raped my wife. I am going to do what any red-blooded man would do in my position. Why are you protecting him?" he snapped.

"Damon…" Marianna tried to intervene. She had completely lost control of the situation.

Damon nearly growled. "Stay out of this, Doc!"

Bonnie was incensed when Damon accused her of protecting her attacker. "I don't need you to save me, Damon. Sixteen-year-old Bonnie needed someone to save her. She needed just one fucking person to notice that she wasn't okay. She needed one person to see how she trembled when a man nearly ten years older than her got too near. She needed someone to notice that she was swiping her grandmother's pain medication so that she could sleep without nightmares. Seventeen-year-old Bonnie needed someone to love and support her through her grandmother's death. Nineteen-year-old Bonnie needed to be reassured that there wasn't anything wrong with her just because she hadn't gotten pregnant yet. I am 21-years-old now. I do not need you. I do not want you. I want a divorce. Because I want to be with someone that loves me and that doesn't want to own me. I want to be with someone that has taken the time to get to know and I are strangers, Damon."

Damon looked at Dr. Correa. He said, "Give us the room. Now!"

Marianna realized immediately that this wasn't the same man that came to her for her help saving his marriage. He was behaving like the angry young man that his uncle had once spent sessions lamenting. Zach had feared that this side of Damon would make an appearance. He had put safeguards in place for such an occasion. Marianna quickly exited the office.

Bonnie stood up and said, "Coming here and opening up to you was a mistake."

He walked up to Bonnie and said, "We are not getting a divorce. You are my wife! I will protect you whether you want me to or not."

"You don't own me, Damon. I don't need your brand of protection. I certainly don't want to be married to you anymore. Why would I? I am the worst version of myself with you. Can't you see that?"

Damon studied her for a moment. "Are you fucking someone else?"

She rolled her eyes. "What if I am? What business is it of yours, Damon? We are separated. I told you to have at Katherine. We're getting divorced now. You can screw any slut your heart desires."

"Who is it, huh? Is it Tyler?" he practically roared at her.

Bonnie gave her husband an unimpressed look. "I am done with this and you. I came here because I didn't want you to think that you were a rapist. I was even willing to work on our friendship so that we can be decent co-parents. However, I have zero interest in trying to fix our dysfunctional marriage, Damon."

"I am going to kill that little bastard. Do you hear me? He's dead, Bonnie!"

Bonnie's entire expression changed from exasperation to rage. She spoke in a quiet voice, "I get that you are angry. You aren't used to me saying no to you. Therefore, I am going to give you a pass on this little temper tantrum. You are right. Tyler is the man that I would like to date. He is my best friend and he loves me. He builds me up, instead of tearing me down. I need him in my life. If you harm a hair on his head, I will fucking ruin you. I will start by having your slutty baby mama hacked into little bitty pieces. That goes for Enzo, too. I have never liked him. Then I will sit back as I watch all the king's horses and all the king's men try to put them back together again. Maybe a few of your former mistresses will go missing, too. What would Velocita's board of directors do if their CEO were mired in multiple homicide investigations? Stock prices would tumble as reporters lined the sidewalk outside the building. And they would vote you out with the quickness."

A chill ran up Damon's spine because he believed her threat. His father's words came back to him like a boomerang. He licked his lips and said, "Bunny…"

She laughed coldly. "No more yelling at me? No more making threats?"

Damon stared into her hardened eyes and cupped her cheek. "Do you think that I give a damn about Katherine or any other woman I have ever fucked? Even Enzo is can be boiled down to collateral damage. I won't have to kill Tyler or send him away because I know something that you don't."

She rolled her eyes. "What do you think you know, Damon?"

"You are settling for Tyler. You really want me. You have always wanted me. If I had broken up with Katherine as I promised, you wouldn't even give him a second look. He would still be firmly in the friendzone."

Bonnie folded her arms across her chest. She snapped, "You know nothing. We wanted to date when we were younger but it wasn't allowed. We love each other."

Damon smiled because he could see that Bonnie was flustered. He stroked her cheek lovingly. "I love Rose, too. But she and I were never meant to be anything more than friends. You and I are going to be together until death parts us. Go ahead…sow your wild oats. You'll come running back to me sooner or later. I am the only man for you, Bunny. You hate me but you love me just as deeply. I am patient enough to wait you out."

Bonnie was livid. She shoved Damon out of her way and marched out of the office just as Zacharias was about to enter. She glared. "You'll be hearing from my lawyers, Damon!"

Damon grinned like a mad man as Bonnie left.

Zacharias scowled at his nephew. "What the fuck did you do?"

He yelled after her. "I love you, Bunny. I'll be seeing you again soon!"

"Fuck you!" she yelled.

Damon clapped his hands together with a smile. He said, "Find Father Kieran for me."

"Why?" Zach asked.

He said, "My sweet little bunny got so mad that she said too much again. Do you remember when Giuseppe accused me of stealing Sheila's medication?"

Zacharias nodded. "I remember. The two of you came to blows over it. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Bonnie admitted that she was the culprit. It means that she was here in California when this coward violated her. Bonnie told me that she confessed to a priest. Father Kieran was the head man over there at the time."

Zacharias frowned. "Even if I find Father Kieran he won't break the seal of confession, Damon."

"You let me worry about the details, Zio."

"Why do you look so happy, Damon? Bonnie is going to divorce you."

Damon shook his head. "No, she won't. This is her version of Rumspringa. She married me at 17 and I have been a disappointment. Bonnie thinks that she is going to find something better out there."

"Won't she?"

He smiled at his uncle. "Not a chance. I saw my love's true face today and it is beautiful. She is going to learn the hard way that I am her other half."


	49. Let's Be Friends

A/N: I can't believe that we have reached 700 reviews! You all are amazing. I love the support and feedback that you give me. I hope everyone is having safe and happy holidays!

P.S. I promise that we see Damon again next chapter. It is already written and it is kinda great in my opinion :-)

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Bonnie was livid after leaving Dr. Correa's office. She couldn't get away from that hack or her infuriating husband fast enough. She saw that farce of a counseling session to be further proof of their toxic relationship. It was startling to realize, but Bonnie had come to hate her husband. She was ashamed to admit how much she wanted to cause him pain. Her verbal barbs simply were not good enough anymore. She wanted to draw blood because that was the only language men in the mafia understood. However, Bonnie didn't want to stray down that path. She and Damon had children together. They deserved parents capable of civil discourse or at the very least didn't assault each other.

The young woman felt lost in a sea of chaos. She had not been raised with the proper conflict resolution skills for this situation. Her grandmother had been a fighter, or perhaps a brawler was a better word. Giuseppe was not always the instigator of the physical altercations that plagued their dysfunctional relationship. On more than one occasion, Bonnie had witnessed her grandmother strike the first blow. Usually, Giuseppe would say something ignorant, hurtful, disrespectful, or generally rage inducing. Recently, she learned that her mother had behaved similarly with Rudy. Bonnie was desperate to break the insane cycle. She owed it to her children to find a reasonable way to deal with her anger.

Bonnie knew that seeing a professional was the only way to deal with her issues. She was angry, hurt, and lost. Moreover, Bonnie felt as if Damon and Niklaus had taken pieces of her soul that she could never get back. Too often, she felt hollow and cold inside. Vengeance seemed to be the only thing that generated a spark of life within her. She needed to develop coping skills that did not lead her to violence. However, those rational and mature thoughts were better left for another day. Bonnie could not bring herself to engage in domestic violence with Damon, but there were no such concerns with Niklaus. He was merely a business associate that had crossed the line. A violent retaliation was well within her right.

Tyler had wisely chosen a safe house in Antelope Valley as the site of tonight's festivities. The unassuming bungalow home sat on a couple acres of fenced land. Moreover, every inch of the house had been soundproofed to ensure not even a single unwanted sound could escape. The house was registered to a shell corporation to ensure no one could connect it to the Bennett organization. The only downside to the safe house was its distance from Los Angeles. However, the extended drive time gave Bonnie the opportunity to relax. She needed a clear head before seeing Niklaus. If everything went according to the plan, the action would be over before she arrived.

She knew that Tyler was not happy about her involvement, but she needed to see Niklaus face-to-face. He had to understand that while men had carried out the attack, the order had come from her. She was in full control of her family's organization now. At Elijah's house, Klaus had seen a brief glimpse of the young woman's true nature. She had pressed a switchblade to his throat while threatening his life. Bonnie wanted to reinforce that she was no longer the little girl afraid to speak up for herself. She deserved as much respect as any of her male counterparts did.

Bonnie walked into the bungalow. She smiled seeing Mason, Brady, Cesare, Cristian, and Tyler lounging in the living room. Pizza boxes and beer bottles littered the room. She grabbed a slice of pizza as she sat on the arm of the couch.

Tyler discreetly squeezed Bonnie's thigh in greeting. He had been worried about the counseling session with Damon. Matt had sent a text to warn him that it had been a disaster.

Matt plopped down on the couch and swiped a bottle of beer. He popped the top and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. "Tell me there's a Hawaiian pizza here somewhere."

Tyler nodded. "I've got you covered."

Brady shifted the boxes until he found the right one and passed it over to Matt.

Bonnie nodded towards the television as she finished one slice and grabbed another. "Who's winning?"

"Warriors," Mason complained.

"When are you going to give up on your pathetic Lakers?" she asked teasingly.

"Never," he countered with a good-natured smile. "I'm not a bandwagon fan like my nephew. He's corrupted my eldest, too."

The younger man shrugged. "I was never a Lakers fan. I was a Kobe Bryant fan. There is a difference. He has retired and now I am a Steph Curry fan."

"Me, too," Bonnie replied. "He's cute and I've always been attracted to men with a nice jump shot."

Tyler winked at Bonnie knowing that the comment was directed at him.

"I hope he goes home to the Charlotte Hornets when his contract ends this summer," Cristian added.

Brady snorted. "No one willingly goes to Charlotte."

"West Coast elitist," Bonnie joked.

"He is from there," Cristian argued.

Bonnie rolled her eyes at her cousin. "You only like the Charlotte Hornets because they have an Italian player."

Cesare scoffed. "He's from Northern Italy."

She chuckled. Her family had some strong opinions about northerners.

She finished her second slice of pizza and asked, "How did everything go here?"

Tyler lifted an eyebrow and passed her a key. "He's still alive, Bon. He is locked up tight in the office."

She chuckled. "Well, that's good news. Did you do the thing that I asked you to do?"

He grinned at Bonnie and said, "I let Brady handle it. He has a surer hand than I do."

Brady said, "It was a clean cut, Boss."

She said, "I guess I shouldn't keep our guest waiting any longer. I wouldn't want to be rude. Save me a couple slices of stuffed crust or I will be pissed."

Matt smirked. "You aren't even supposed to be eating this junk. I should rat you out to Abby."

Bonnie stuck her tongue out at Matt before she walked out of the living room. She made her way to the office and unlocked the door using the key that Tyler had given her. When she entered the sparsely decorated room, her eyes fell onto Niklaus immediately. They had left his face largely untouched so that he could hide the damage from Elijah. If his older brother learned of the attack, he would surely demand answers that Klaus couldn't give him.

Niklaus should have been suspicious when Bonnie called him earlier in the day. She had asked him to meet her at this off the radar location so that they could 'talk'. Unfortunately, his guard was always down when it came to the green-eyed enchantress. Klaus didn't realize that he was walking into a trap until five masked thugs descended on him. In the beginning, he assumed that Bonnie had finally told Damon of his transgressions. However, the methods used to assault Niklaus quickly dispelled that notion. It was obvious that his attackers meant to leave him alive. The men had strung him up in the garage before working him over with heavy gauge rubber hoses. The attack caused him severe pain and he would be sore for at least a week but there would be very little evidence. Even the mutilation of his hand had been done with care.

Bonnie scowled at the growing puddle of blood beside Niklaus. She grabbed the first aid kit from the desk and pulled a chair over to him. "I'm sorry about this. I assumed that they would have the courtesy to see to your wound."

He growled. "Don't pretend to care for my well-being, petal. You obviously orchestrated these theatrics. Damon is a mouth breathing knuckle dragger. He lacks the finesse for something like this. He would have just killed me in a fit of rage."

She chuckled as she removed some peroxide from the kit. "I do care for your well-being, Niklaus. If I were heartless, I would have had them sever the tendon in your dominant hand. However, I would never take away your ability to paint and draw. I know how much your art means to you."

Klaus had assumed that his assailants had erroneously chosen the wrong hand to mutilate. In a petulant voice, he asked, "Am I supposed to thank you for that kindness?"

"No, I would not expect you to thank me for any of this. Well, unless you are a masochist and this sort of thing gets you off. However, I think we both know that you are a sadist," Bonnie quipped as she doused his upturned hand with peroxide.

He hissed and bucked against his bindings. He growled, "Now who is the sadist?"

She smiled innocently and repeated the action to ensure the wound was clean. "I never said I wasn't a sadist, Nik."

Klaus bit his lip to keep from screaming. He wouldn't give Bonnie the pleasure of hearing how much pain he felt. "Well done, petal. You truly made me believe that you could accept my apology. Generally, I am not so easily fooled."

Bonnie patted his hand dry and then began wrapping it with a clean bandage. "I tried to forgive you, Nik. I wanted to forgive you because I believed your words were heartfelt and honest. However, you and I were both raised to believe that an eye for an eye is the only adequate retribution. I had to come up with an alternative since I had no interest in raping you or hiring someone else to do the deed. This seemed to be the perfect solution. Frankly, I went easy on you. What would you do if a 25-year-old man took advantage of your teenage daughter?"

He wanted a say something biting but the words died on his lips at the mention of his daughter. Klaus would literally eviscerate a cretin that dared lay a hand on his child. There would be nowhere to hide and no line that he would not cross to end the pervert. He swallowed thickly. Begrudgingly, he asked, "What happens now? Has your thirst for blood been quenched or should I be watching my back from now on, petal?"

She smiled at him. "I am going to finish bandaging your hand and you will be free to leave. This was never about killing you. I could have had you murdered in prison at any point. I had a lovely friend in your cellblock. You got along quite well with Bam-Bam, didn't you?"

Nik blinked at the name of his former three hundred pound cellmate. The men had crossed paths in the prison's lackluster library. Bam-Bam had been a literature major before he was convicted of manslaughter. Nik's lively debates with the older man were his only source of intellectual stimulation. They had slowly formed a friendship that was put to the test just a few months later. Niklaus was entering year three of his prison sentence and had settled into a routine. His older brother had called in favors and spent an obscene amount of money to make sure he had protection. However, one day in the yard the three men meant to protect him were killed by rivals of the Mikaelson family. They started a riot with the intention of assassinating Klaus. However, Bam-Bam had came to the rescue and taken a shiv to the stomach for his trouble. Afterwards, Niklaus had demanded that Elijah pull whatever strings necessary to have Bam-Bam transferred to his cell. He tensed at the realization that everything had likely been a set up.

"You were only nineteen at the time. There's no way you could have made that happen," he said with stubborn disbelief.

She finished wrapping his hand and sat back in her chair. "I was a 19-year-old that inherited her family's business."

"Damon inherited your family's business," he countered.

She laughed. "Damon believed that he took over the organization. He was certainly the public face and took all the risk but I had my people in place. On my 19th birthday, I decided that killing you would be my present to myself."

He eyed her suspiciously. "Had a change of heart, love?"

Bonnie's expression softened and she nodded. "About a week before Bam-Bam was set to kill you, I attended Julian's birthday party with my little girl. While I was there, I saw Hope. She really is a precious girl, Niklaus. Hope was so patient and sweet with Sarah as she tried to teach her the mechanics of some game. Sarah couldn't have been more than three-years-old at the time. She was never going to figure out that game but Hope didn't seem to care. Watching her made me realize that I wasn't cruel enough to kill her father. I knew she would one day learn the truth about her paternity. I couldn't rob her of the opportunity to know you."

Niklaus stared into Bonnie's green eyes searching for even a hint of deception. He asked, "You paid Bam-Bam to be my friend for three years?"

She chuckled. "Well, he's still on my payroll but he actually started to like you. You have that effect on people, Nik. Either they love or hate you—there is no in between."

"What about you? Do you love me or hate me, petal?" he asked curiously.

"You're still alive, aren't you? I think that would answer your question," she quipped.

Niklaus said, "Perhaps or you just want to avoid a war with my family. It isn't as easy to cover up a murder outside of a prison."

Bonnie smiled at him. "Elijah would be devastated by your death but he is a reasonable man. He would stand down once I directed him to your older brother. Father Finn has quite the tale to tell about the summer of 2011. The morning after July 4th, I visited the church. I expected Father Kieran to hear my confession. I was so upset that it took me a while to realize that it wasn't his soothing voice on the other side of the privacy screen. When I recognized Father Finn's voice, I felt even more humiliated. I thought about bolting out the confessional."

He didn't need to ask Bonnie about the significance of that date. He had attended Giuseppe Salvatore's annual Fourth of July party. The alcohol flowed freely and everyone was distracted by the revelry. It had been easy to pull Bonnie into an empty bedroom completely unnoticed. They returned to the party more than an hour later and no one was the wiser. "Why didn't you leave once you realized my brother was hearing your confession?"

She said, "He offered to tell me a secret. He promised to tell me something that caused him as much shame as I was feeling. Afterwards, I truly believed that I could trust him. I told him about how afraid I was you were going to hurt me if I rejected you. I told him that I was afraid my grams would be angry with me if I went to her with the truth. More importantly, I was terrified that my weakness would be the cause of bloodshed. I didn't want good men, men that had sworn to protect my family, to die because I was weak and pathetic. Father Finn promised that he would help me without breaking his vow. I guess he didn't try or it didn't work because three weeks later…well, you know what happened the night of Mikael's funeral."

If this were a cartoon, time would have frozen as Klaus saw the big picture for the first time. Not long after Independence Day, his pious older brother had visited him at the beach house in Malibu. He suggested that it might be wise for Klaus to leave California for a while since Hayley and Elijah's betrayal had thoroughly gutted him. At the time, spending a few months at their family home in the Westman Islands sounded pleasant. He was days away from jetting off to Iceland when Mikael was killed in a car accident.

She continued, "I was angry and distraught the next time he heard my confession. I told him what you did to me after your father's funeral. I asked how God could love me if he let you hurt me that way. I could only assume that I had done something to anger God and that he was punishing me for it. I don't remember how long Father Finn spent trying to convince me that I was wrong. I still didn't believe him when I left. Then a few weeks later the police arrested you based on the surveillance footage from the church's parking lot. I underestimated your brother. I think perhaps you did, too."

His entire body throbbed from the rubber hose treatment, not to mention the searing pain in his hand. However, none of that could compare to the emotional toll of this conversation. It wasn't just hearing the words but seeing the pained expression on her face. Klaus felt genuine shame. He shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"I know that you are, Nik. I have forgiven you and I am ready to move on from that terrible time. I just wanted you to understand why I did this. I needed you to suffer and now you have. I would like to be friends. Our daughters socialize and one day my Sarah will marry into your family."

"God help her," he complained.

Bonnie touched his cheek and said, "However, I need you to understand that friends are all that we will ever be, Nik. I am not in love with you. I could never fall in love with you because of our history together. What happened the night of Erik's christening can never happen again. If you ever cross the line with me again, it will be the last thing you ever do. As you have realized, I can be quite sadistic and I will make your death as painful as humanly possible. Do we have an understanding or should I kill you right now? I promise to make it a clean kill so that your family can have an open casket funeral."

Klaus' eyes focused on the gleaming blade that Bonnie had seemingly pulled out of thin air. He looked down as the sharp tip bit into his already sore skin. The angle of the blade ensured that he would die within minutes if Bonnie thrust it into his chest. Someone had obviously trained her in the finer points of murder. He would put his money on Sheila. The older woman had been formidable enough that Mikael had feared getting on her bad side and he had been a raging misogynist.

"That will not be necessary, petal. I understand that I squandered whatever chance I might have had with you years ago. I am capable of behaving as a gentleman and that is how I will behave with you."

Bonnie retracted the dagger that Tyler had stashed in the first aid kit on her orders. She smiled at him. "I am glad to hear you say that, Niklaus. The less stress in my life the better it is for my babies."

"Are you unwell?" he asked with genuine concern.

"A stressful life isn't really conducive for a healthy pregnancy but I am clearing all the negativity out of my life."

Klaus said, "If there is anything that I can do…."

She smiled coyly. Bonnie could think of a dozen ways that Klaus could help her. However, that would come in a few weeks after the botched DEA bust. She was hoping for a lucrative partnership.

"I will keep that in mind. Will you be able to drive with that paw? If not, I can have someone drive you home."

He shook his head. "No, I do not think it would be wise to drive with one hand. However, I do not want to go home."

"Name your destination and I will ensure you make it there in one piece," she promised.

Klaus considered her for a moment. "The five brutes that accosted me…."

"They work for me and don't have a clue why I set this up. They will not harm you further. My men know better than to question my motives or disobey my orders. Rest assured that my mother, a dear friend, and Father Finn are the only people that know what you did. I intend to keep it that way. Where should I have them take you?"

He answered, "Marcel's house. He can get a physician to evaluate my hand discreetly. I do not wish for Elijah to know about my injury until I have a suitable cover story."

Bonnie nodded. "I can make that happen. Don't worry about your hand. I consulted a doctor before I had you sliced. A severed tendon can heal in about twelve weeks if reattached by a skilled surgeon. In the meantime, I like knowing that every time you feel a twinge in that hand you will think of me and why I did this to you."

Klaus shook his head as he watched her stand up.

"What?" she asked.

"You are incomprehensible."

Bonnie laughed airily. "That's not true at all. I am known and understood by those that have made the effort."

He watched as Bonnie walked out of the room.

Twenty minutes later, Cesare walked into the office without a mask. He said, "Try to attack me and I will kill you."

"Sounds fair," he riposted.

Cesare was older than Niklaus by a few years but he dwarfed him in both height and weight. He unlocked the handcuffs and shackles that had kept him place. In a gruff voice, he asked, "Can you stand?"

Niklaus slowly got to his feet. He wasn't the type to show weakness in front of an enemy. Cesare was clearly his enemy even if Bonnie swore that she had not disclosed his transgressions.

The older man grunted, "Follow me."

Niklaus felt lightheaded from the blood loss but managed to keep his balance as he walked down the hallway. When they entered the living room, only one person remained. He instantly recognized the man as another of Bonnie's cousins. However, he couldn't immediately recall his name.

Cesare threw Klaus' car keys at his younger brother. "Did Bonnie give you the address?"

He caught the car keys and stood up. "I already put the address into the navigation app on my phone. I know where I am going."

Cesare said, "Good. I will be following you to make sure there are not any complications."

Klaus huffed. "I am not going to attack the person driving my custom built McLaren. Frankly, I am concerned about bleeding on the hand tooled leather upholstery."

Cristian chuckled and motioned for Klaus to follow him. He walked out of the house and unlocked the car.

Klaus counted three cars still parked outside the house. He wondered if Bonnie was still there or if his other attackers were staying out of sight. He climbed into the car and awkwardly closed the door.

Cristian climbed into the car and let the seat back some. Like is older brother, he was several inches taller than Klaus was. He placed his phone on his lap as he started the car. Cristian waited to pull away from the house until after Cesare waved him forward. He nodded towards the radio and asked, "Do you mind?"

Klaus shook his head. "No."

Cristian turned on the radio and searched the channels until he found the radio broadcast for the Lakers/Warriors game.

Klaus relaxed into the plush leather seat and allowed the announcer's voice to drown out everything else for a moment. His body ached from the beating he took but also from being shackled to an uncomfortable chair for well over an hour. He tried to figure out what lie his brother would most believe. Klaus thought that a car accident had promise but that required a level of planning that might be impossible on such short notice. Klaus was leaning toward telling his brother the truth without including names. It would still give Elijah plausible deniability if this damning secret ever became public. Klaus would not drag his brother to hell with him.

He was uncertain about how to proceed. However, the one thing he knew with certainty was that he would never blindly trust Bonnie again. She was not the sweet girl that somehow ended up at his 25th birthday party. Something more sinister had taken root inside her while he was in prison. Klaus couldn't help but wonder if he had corrupted her or if the nature of their lifestyle had done the deed.

Klaus was relieved when Cristian pulled into the driveway of Marcel's house.

He turned off the car and dropped the keys onto Klaus' lap. He flashed an affable smile as he climbed out of the car. "You should try to keep your hand elevated above your heart. It will help with the swelling. Good night."

The blond mobster blinked as he watched Cristian walk down the hill to Cesare's car. Klaus slowly got out of the car and ambled up to the front door. He fiddled with his keys until he found the spare that Marcel had given him a few weeks ago. He hadn't thought that he would need a key but his friend had insisted. Marcel figured that Klaus would grow tired of living with Elijah and Hayley at some point even if he had his own space in the pool house.

Klaus walked into the house and locked the door behind him. He walked towards the living room hoping to find Marcel or perhaps one of the 'orphans' that lived there. Marcel had a habit of unofficially adopting young people that had been abandoned by their families like Davina, Josh, and Thierry.

He leaned against the archway that led into the living room. He lifted an eyebrow as he watched what had to be a post coital cuddle between his nephew and bloody Thierry. He cleared his throat. "I could use a little help here. I am a bleeding."

The two young men sprung apart as if they had been burned.

Andrew literally squeaked, "Uncle Nik! What are you doing here?"

Klaus averted his eyes as Andrew and Thierry made a mad dash around the room to get dressed. "I mentioned the fact that I was bleeding. I could use some scotch and whatever pain pills Marcel has on hand."

Andrew buttoned his jeans but forgot about putting on his shirt when he realized that Klaus' hand was heavily bandaged. However, the white bandages were stained dark red from his blood. He quickly crossed the room to his uncle. "What happened? Should I call Uncle Elijah?"

Klaus sat down heavily in a chair and groaned. "First, get me something to numb the bloody pain. Second, do not disturb Elijah under any circumstances. I will tell him what happened in the morning. Third, call Marcel. Fourth, get me something for the bloody pain."

Andrew's forehead wrinkled. He said, "You said that last bit twice."

"You don't say? Maybe it is because it bears repeating, lad."

Thierry was calmer than his poor boyfriend was. The kid hadn't even come out to his family yet. He disappeared for a few seconds. Then he returned with a bottle of Marcel's best scotch and a glass. He placed both on the table beside Klaus' chair. "I'll, uh, call Marcel. He's at The Claw tonight."

Andrew stood awkwardly in front of his uncle. "Are you going to tell me what happened to you? Should I call a doctor or my mom?"

Klaus held the bottle of scotch against his body and used his good hand to unscrew the cap. He promptly gulped a healthy dose of the high priced liquor and closed his eyes. He muttered, "Definitely, don't call your mother. Freya is almost as bad a Elijah."

"What about Aunt Bekah?"

He opened one eye and then looked around the room for emphasis.

Andrew looked back at the couch and his cheeks turned bright red. He said, "I would straighten up before she arrived."

He chuckled. "No, I don't want to involve anyone else right now. I need you to promise to keep this to yourself, Andrew."

"Of course," he replied immediately. "Maybe you could keep this to yourself, too?"

Klaus chuckled and said, "It isn't my place to tell anyone about what I walked in on tonight. If I weren't bleeding profusely I would give you a rousing speech about being your authentic self. However, the abbreviated version is that we are your family and we love you. You don't need to hide this from us."

"Uncle Kol…"

"…is a moron," Klaus finished for his nephew.

He smiled a little at his uncle's reply. "He is a moron, isn't he?"

"I am afraid he can't help it. I might have dropped him on his head as a baby...more than once," Klaus confessed with a grin.

Andrew chuckled. He glanced at the bloody bandages. "I should go see if Marcel has any supplies to help stop the bleeding. I'll raid his medicine cabinet while I am at it."

Klaus took another large gulp of scotch and nodded. "There's a good lad."


	50. Christmas Eve

Damon could not remember the last time he attended Midnight Mass. His family had never been particularly religious. Once upon a time, they would attend church on the major holidays like Easter and Christmas Eve. However, Giuseppe stopped requiring even that token act of faux piety after Damon's first kill. He figured his son was old enough to make his own decisions about faith. It had been a simple choice for Giuseppe's heir. Damon could not pinpoint the moment he stopped believing in God but he assumed it was somewhere between the first and fifth time his old man broke one of his bones. He did not understand what sort of omnipotent being would let a grown man pummel an innocent child. Damon had decided if there was a god then he certainly was not a benevolent one. Moreover, he knew there was already a seat in hell waiting for him if there was a god.

Marrying a devout Catholic like Bonnie did not sway his religious beliefs. She had a vastly different upbringing than Damon did. Bonnie attended church every Sunday with her grandmother. She continued that practice long after Sheila died. Moreover, Bonnie was an active member of the local parish. She was not only generous with her money but also with her time. Christmas was always a large production at the Salvatore Manor, but every year Bonnie snuck away for a few hours to volunteer at the church. Sometimes she helped serve meals to the less fortunate. Other years she just helped package the meals that Father Finn and his other parishioners delivered to the homeless that could not find transportation to the church.

While Damon was a non-believer, he did not stand in the way when Bonnie started taking Sarah to church. He knew how important religion was to his wife. He understood why she would want to share that with their daughter. Sarah had started her catechism classes earlier in the year. In retrospect, Damon realized that he should have occasionally gone to church with his family. He did not need to be a believer in order to sit through a 45-minute service. He also could have gone to lunch with them after church. He could have done anything to show an interest in something that was such a large part of their lives. Damon would like to say that he was at St. Ignatius to be a good husband and a father. However, he didn't make a habit of lying to himself. He was attending Midnight Mass for the sole purpose of spying on his wife.

It had been three days since the ill-fated counseling session with Dr. Correa. His sweet wife had made good on her word. Damon had been served with divorce papers this morning. Bonnie had called him twice, but she put Sarah on the phone without ever speaking to Damon. Bonnie sent his calls to voicemail whenever he tried to reach her. He knew that showing up to Abby's house was a bad idea. He didn't want to start a fight with Bonnie while their daughter was in the house. Damon resorted to having his men follow Bonnie. He wanted to know what she was doing, but she had drivers capable of shaking a tail. Fortunately, Damon knew that he could count on his wife attending Midnight Mass.

He did not count on Tyler Lockwood being at her side. In fact, the entire Lockwood family was present. The Lockwood, Donovan, Castillo, and Bennett families were taking up several pews towards the front of the massive church. There were several other influential members from the smuggling operation present. Zacharias physically forced Damon into a pew when they arrived at the church nearly fifteen minutes into the service. He had been petulant when his uncle insisted on joining him for Midnight Mass. Damon did not think that he needed a chaperone. However, he was grateful for his uncle's foresight. As much as he would love to beat Tyler bloody, he was mindful of his wife's threat against Katherine. He wasn't selfish enough to leave his first born motherless because he was in a jealous rage. Damon wholeheartedly believed Bonnie would kill Katherine if he harmed Tyler.

Damon barely heard a word of Father Finn's homily. He spent the entire time staring at the back of his wife's head. It was taking some time for him to become accustomed to his wife's new hairstyle. Damon could not remember a time when Bonnie had ever worn braids in the past. They had only been separated for a week, but already she was changing the way she looked. Her hair was different. Her clothes were different. It made Damon wonder if her appearance had been part of the role she was playing as his wife. Had Bonnie been trying to fit into some mold that she believed he found desirable?

He didn't realize that Mass had ended until people began filing out of the pews. Damon slowly got to his feet.

Zach glanced at his nephew and said, "Don't behave like an ass, Damon. I will drag you out of here if I have to. Let's just wait outside. You can 'bump' into Bonnie out there."

He grunted and reluctantly followed his uncle out of the church. "Can you believe that Benny is here?"

The older man said, "I am sure he is trying to get in good with the new boss. He probably wants Bonnie to know that his loyalty was always with her family…even when you were running the show."

Damon thought about what his father said. Giuseppe theorized that Sheila had people embedded in their organization. He asked, "What do you think about the Lockwoods and Dononvans being here?"

He deadpanned, "This is their church, too. Besides, they are connected to the Benedetto family through marriage. Cesare is married to Richard's daughter, Lexi. Senior's grandson, Lucky, is married to one of Bonnie's cousins. I think her name is Lia."

Damon looked at his uncle and asked, "No one ever thought that was suspicious?"

"Not really," he replied. "All of our families hail from a town that is barely nine square miles. There is a lot of intermarriage between the families. Hell if we traced our family trees back far enough I am sure we all have relatives in common."

Damon knew that his uncle was right. However, he couldn't shake his father's words. He was learning the hard way that he couldn't take anything for granted any longer. "Maybe you are right."

Zach said, "I am."

Damon hummed but did not immediately respond. He didn't share his uncle's certainty. Sheila had been a formidable woman that had collected years of damning information on a man that she purportedly loved. Damon assumed that she loved Giuseppe. He could not fathom another reason that Sheila would have carried on a forty-year affair with a physically and emotionally abusive misogynist. Giuseppe seemed sure that Sheila had moles in their organization but he never investigated. His father was a ruthless man, but there appeared to be nothing that he would have begrudged the love of his life. Strangely, Damon could relate to that sentiment wholeheartedly. He loved Bonnie and short of granting her divorce, he couldn't think of a single thing he would ever deny her.

The Donovan family exited the church first with Mason and walked toward the massive parking lot. They didn't seem to notice Damon standing near the fountain with Zacharias. He knew that there was some truth to his uncle's assertion about intermarriage. The Salvatore and Donovan families were blood relatives. Some decades ago, one of Damon's great-great aunts had married a Loiacono. The criminal underworld in Milazzo was small and interconnected, but still something tugged at his consciousness. Damon's eyes were open for the first time and he suspected everyone.

A few minutes later, most of the Lockwood family exited the church. Only Brady and Tyler were seemingly missing. His eyes followed the family as they headed to the parking lot, too. Cesare was carrying his youngest son that he shared with Lexi. Richard had always been a stand up person. Damon respected him more than he respected probably anyone else that worked for his family. Yet somehow, Richard's daughter had married a Benedetto. Moreover, she married Big John's eldest grandson. In twenty or so years, Cesare would surely be the head of the family. Everyone thought it was just a matter of time before Big John would hand the family's reins over to Cesare's father, Gianni. Perhaps it was all innocent. After all, Lexi had known Cesare for years because her family spent many summers in Milazzo.

Nearly twenty minutes passed as the church emptied. Yet Bonnie and her family were still inside. He assumed that they stayed behind to talk to Father Finn.

His blue eyes widened when he saw his wife exiting the church. She was walking beside Tyler. Seeing them together was enough to make his blood boil, but Tyler was carrying his sleeping daughter. Damon wanted to rip apart the little bastard limb from limb but he managed to keep his cool. They looked like a happy little family. Damon strolled over to the couple. "Hi, bunny."

Brady tensed and edged closer to his nephew. He hoped that Damon wouldn't do anything stupid in such a public place. However, he was prepared to protect Tyler.

Remy Benedetto moved closer to Bonnie. While Brady was hoping for peace, Remy was ready for a fight. He still owed Damon an ass kicking for how he behaved Saturday night.

Lucy shook her said, "Don't start no shit on Jesus' birthday, Damon Salvatore."

Bonnie smiled and said, "Don't get yourself all worked up, Luce. Damon is very clear about what I expect of him. Aren't you, honey?"

Damon's jaw twitched at the condescending pet name. He smiled, "I am not here to cause trouble. I am just celebrating Midnight Mass like everyone else here."

Abby cradled Savannah against her shoulder. She questioned, "When have you ever been religious?"

"Heathen," Lucy muttered.

If looks could kill then Damon would be on his way to hell. He certainly did not have any friends in this small crowd. The only person that might have been happy to see him was fast asleep in Tyler's arms. "My life has been in upheaval lately. Trying times are when most people seek guidance from a higher power. I couldn't think of a better time than tonight."

Bonnie laughed heartily. Damon only attended church services when it was required for business. Giuseppe's heir could hardly skip weddings, funerals, and christenings because of his disdain for religion. "You're a better liar than this, Damon."

Abby could see this was about to go poorly. She gently placed Savannah into Jamie's arms and handed him the car keys. "Go take your brother and sister to the car, sweetie."

While Cooper was oblivious to the mood around him, Jamie was not. He looked between Bonnie and Damon with some trepidation. "Sissy is coming home with us, right?"

Bonnie's mood sobered when she heard the wariness in her little brother's voice. She put on a bright smile and ruffled his curly jet-black hair. Despite being only twelve years old, Jamie was practically the same height as Bonnie was. All of the poison drained from her sharp green eyes. "Yes, I am still coming home. I wouldn't miss opening Christmas gifts with my favorite people in the morning."

Damon watched as Bonnie became a completely different person in light of her brother's concern. He felt some mild guilt for being the cause of that. Kids were innocent and shouldn't be spectators to adult drama. As a child, he developed a sixth sense for conflict. He could always tell when his father was about to kick off.

"Are you two going to fight like Mama and Ric did?" he asked tentatively.

Zach winced when Jamie didn't even bother adding 'uncle' in front of Ric's name. He still couldn't believe that his older brother had behaved so unhinged. Alaric claimed that his anger was related to the smuggling operation. However, it was obvious that he was truly angry because Abby was spending time with her ex-husband. Zacharias was exhausted by his brother and nephew's appalling relationship woes.

Abby tensed at the mention of the argument she had with Ric. They had been outside at the time but it was now apparent that their voices had carried into the house. Jamie had not mentioned overhearing their argument until now.

Bonnie quickly shook her head. "No, it is nothing like that. I promise."

Cristian placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Come with me, cugino."

Jamie said, "Okay…"

Bonnie asked, "Could you take Sarah to the car, too?"

Cristian nodded and took Sarah from Tyler's arms.

"Her booster seat is in Mama's car," Bonnie explained.

Cristian kissed her cheek and said, "Non ti preoccupare, cugina."

"Grazie," Bonnie replied.

Damon waited until he was certain that Cooper and Jamie were out of earshot. "I didn't come here to cause trouble."

"No you came here to ambush me because I refuse to speak to you. I do not have anything more to say to you, Damon. I want a divorce. I paid my legal team handsomely to get those papers drawn up before Christmas. Nothing you say to me is going to change what is happening."

He smirked. "I was just wondering how you reconcile your adultery with the church's teaching. Isn't there something about lusting in your heart being just as adulterous as the act?"

Bonnie huffed out a laugh. "Out of the two of us, you are certainly the expert on adultery, Damon. Perhaps I have not done this in the right order but it has been in good faith. I didn't cross any lines with Tyler until I was sure our marriage was over. You may not be done with me but I have been done with you since I learned about the stopover in Tenerife. I gave you every opportunity to be remotely worthy of my love. You chose another. That is fine because I have chosen another, too."

Tyler tried not to appear too smug but he couldn't help it. Bonnie had chosen him in dramatic fashion.

Damon's eyes flicked to the younger man. He had the urge to slap the smirk off his face but he knew that would spark an actual fistfight. Instead he said, "I told you this a couple days ago and it remains the truth, you are settling for Tyler."

Tyler tensed when Damon said that Bonnie was settling for him. She hadn't mentioned that part of their conversation.

Bonnie stepped closer to Damon and lowered her voice, "You are only saying that out of some misguided hope that I will come back to you if this relationship falls apart. However, I would warn you that reconciliation is the last thing you should want from me. I am in the Christmas spirit so I will give you a piece of advice. If I ever come back to you, sleep with one eye open, Damon. The only reason I would ever find myself in your bed again would be to slit your throat."

Lucy huffed out a laugh. "You should have poisoned his ass with rat poison when you had a chance."

Abby glared at her cousin and said, "Hush, Lucy Marie."

The blue-eyed mobster's jaw literally dropped for a second. The vitriol in Bonnie's words rattled him.

Zach was equally shocked. He cleared his throat. "Bonnie…"

Damon interrupted whatever his uncle might have been about to say. "Do you really want me dead, Bunny?"

"Dead? No, I don't want you dead but I want to hurt you. You can't begin to fathom the number of fantasies I have that leave you battered and bloodied. My children are the only reasons that I haven't let my cousins kick your ass for what you said to me Saturday."

"I said that I was sorry for that," he argued lamely. He couldn't shake the cold feeling that was sinking into his bones.

"I don't want your apology. I want you to leave me alone, Damon. We are co-parents and business partners but nothing more. My relationship with Tyler is none of your business. The stain on my soul certainly is none of your business. You men are so predictable. When I wanted you, you couldn't be bothered. Now that I don't want you, it seems that I have suddenly become your priority. I am not interested in what you have to offer. Go find Katherine, Andi, or some other woman that is desperate enough to put up with your fuckery," she said and stepped back.

Damon grabbed Bonnie's arm and pulled her close to him. He said, "I am not going to sign the divorce papers. You are my wife. I am never going to let you go. You have to know that."

Tyler stiffened and growled, "Are you crazy? Get your hands off her!"

Brady put an arm out to hold back his nephew. However, he was prepared to do what was necessary to protect Bonnie. There was no maintaining his cover if Damon stepped out of line.

Zach looked around. Most of the other parishioners had already left since Bonnie had taken so long to leave the church. He said, "Time and place, Damon. Let her go. You are making an ass of yourself as usual."

Lucy discreetly opened her coat to reveal the gun holstered at her side. "This can end one of two ways…"

Bonnie held up her free hand. "It's okay, Luce."

His grip loosened.

Bonnie snatched her arm out of Damon's grasp. "Don't you ever put your hands on me again or I will let her shoot you next time."

Tyler immediately asked, "Are you okay, Bon?"

She rubbed at her arm and smiled. "I'm fine. We should go. I have to help Mama play Santa Claus tonight or there will be some disappointed children in the morning."

Abby said, "Merry Christmas, Zacharias."

"Merry Christmas to you, too." He said, "I am sorry about this, Abby."

She smiled a little. "I know. Good night."

Damon watched as his wife walked away with her family and her new boyfriend. He wondered if this was how Bonnie felt every time he snuck away to be with Katherine or his flavor of the month.

Zach waited until Bonnie was out of sight then he said, "Let's go, Damon."

The two men had parked a block over because the parking lot was full since they arrived so late.

Zach unlocked his car and climbed into the driver's seat. He waited until Damon was in the car before slapping the younger man across the back of his head. "What the fuck were you thinking putting your hands on her like that?"

"I wasn't trying to hurt her!" he shouted. "I just didn't want her to walk away from me," he continued in a much softer voice.

Zach sighed because he hated to see his nephew this way. Damon didn't make good decisions when his heart was involved. He said, "You are pushing too hard while she is still too angry at you. You might be right about her settling for Tyler. Taunting her with that narrative will only make her try harder to prove you wrong. You are pushing her further into his arms. Take a step back before you alienate her altogether."

"I don't know if I can do that. You saw him carrying my daughter around," he replied bitterly.

"She fell asleep during mass. Did you want your pregnant wife to carry her? Besides, you are only up in arms about Tyler carrying Sarah because he is dating Bonnie. I get it. I would be out of my mind with jealousy if Meredith left me. However, I have worked my ass off to be the kind of husband that she would never want to leave. Try being a good guy for once or you can kiss this marriage goodbye. I know one thing for sure. I won't stand around and watch you start beating on that girl."

Damon stared at his uncle. "I wouldn't…grabbing her arm isn't the same thing as abusing her, Zio."

Zach said, "We are men that settle our issues with violence. It is first nature and Bonnie is working all of your buttons right now. I am not saying that you would plan to hit her but mistakes happen in the heat of a moment. I am letting you know that is a mistake that I won't allow to happen on my watch—boss or not. I will not stand by and watch my nephew turn into a woman batterer. You can argue with Bonnie all you want but you keep your fucking hands off her. Maybe if I had kicked your ass when you were fucking around you wouldn't be in this situation."

"This isn't your fault," Damon argued.

"Isn't it?" Zach asked. He raked a hand over his face. "I should have done more to make sure you didn't turn out like…"

Damon felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart. "Fuck you…"

Zacharias said, "I am not trying to hurt your feelings here. I am worried about you. I don't like what I am seeing. Learn to control yourself or stay the fuck away from that girl, Damon. Every time the two of you are together there is arguing. The two of you are so fucking unhealthy together I don't know why you would want to stay married to her. She wants to cause you bodily harm, Damon. How many blow ups will it take for Big John to decide that you are a fucking problem? How many times would you allow some man to grab Sarah and call her out of her name? Do you want to be like Ric? Did you hear what Jamie said?"

He put his head in his hands. He muttered, "I can't even blame cocaine this time. I haven't had any since Saturday night."

"Dr. Correa is still willing to keep you on as a patient. You need to work on yourself before we have a tragedy on our hands. Someone is going to get hurt in a way from which neither of our families will be able to recover. If Bonnie and Big John strike against you…we will have to strike back out of honor and reputation. Do you want to start a mob war with men that have the same blood as your own children?"

Damon said, "I would never let it go that far!"

Zach shook his head and gave his nephew a piteous look. "When are you going to realize that you aren't the only one wielding power in this situation? Bonnie got four of her cousins to move stateside for an indefinite time so that she can take the smuggling business from you. Big John knows what Giuseppe did to her and he has plans to visit shortly after Christmas. You are no longer dealing with your isolated wife. You are dealing with the head of another organization and you had better start acting like it."

"Make up your mind," he snapped. "Is she my wife or is she the head of an organization?"

"She is both and apparently she doesn't plan to put up with your shit the way that Sheila tolerated Giuseppe. You need to decide if you still want to be married to Bonnie. If you do, then fix yourself, Damon. That is the only option here because things are not going to go back to the way they once were," he opined.

He said, "For me, there has never been any doubt that I wanted to be married to Bonnie. I love her. I have always loved her, Zio. I wouldn't begin to know how to stop. When Sheila first came to me about marrying Bonnie, I thought she was insane. I could not understand how anyone would trust someone as fucked up as me with someone as sweet and innocent as Bonnie. I just had this horrible fear that I was going to ruin her and blacken her soul because we all know I am in no way fit to be anyone's husband or father. I only agreed to the arrangement because the idea of Bonnie being married off to some cousin of hers in Milazzo made my stomach turn. I was enraged by the idea that she would belong to someone else. But that wasn't my first clue that my feelings for her weren't only familial."

The older man was shocked to hear Damon be so honest about his feelings for Bonnie. Usually, he just stopped after saying that he loved her. "What do you mean?"

"The summer that Bonnie turned sixteen, I probably slept with a couple dozen women while she and Sheila stayed at the Manor," he replied.

He snorted. "How was that any different than any other summer? I love you dearly but you have always been a whore. It is sort of a defining trait for Salvatore men."

Damon laughed wryly. "I was in rare form that summer-trust me. It was all because I was trying to ignore the weird shit that bubbled up for me whenever Bonnie was around. It was the first time I looked at Bonnie and realized that she wasn't a little kid anymore. She was sporting womanly curves. She was dressing more mature and she started wearing makeup. I didn't realize it at the time but it was for my benefit. That's what Stefan told me a few weeks ago anyway. Of course I would have never gone there with her because I have my faults but I've never gone in for statutory rape. I spent the whole summer running from the feelings that were building inside me...running from her if I am being honest. One night, I nearly lost my mind because Stefan had taken her to Klaus' birthday party. You should have seen how Bonnie was dressed. I played it off like I was being the protective big brother by keeping her by my side but really it was because I had walked up and saw some asshole dancing with her. My first instinct was to break his arm for touching her-I almost did. It took several lines of coke and a threesome with Sybil and one of her friends to get Bonnie off my mind that night."

Zach asked, "Why didn't you come to me or Ric? You were obviously conflicted. I know that you couldn't talk to Giuseppe about shit but you could have talked to one of us."

"I was ashamed. I felt like a pervert. Then the next year, Sheila got sick and everything I had been trying to suppress came rushing back to the surface. Only it was different now because Bonnie and I had to spend time alone in the months leading up to the wedding. I started falling in love with her, Zio. She has the corniest sense of humor and I loved hearing her laugh. Not the laugh she does now but her real one. It was uninhibited, joyful, and loud as all hell. She snorts when something is really funny and she was always so embarrassed by it. I realized for the first time that she was smart and that's not to say that I ever thought she was dumb. It's just she was taking college level calculus at 17 and she was a whiz at it. I think what I enjoyed most was just listening to Bonnie sing. She has a voice like an angel. And I kept thinking why would anyone let me marry her. I am going to fuck this up. I am going to fuck her up. So when we got married, I ran from her. I ran as far as I could. I put as much emotional space between us as I could because I didn't want to break her. I didn't want to her to end up like me. Only this whole time she was already broken, she was already like me. She is this whole other person and damn if it isn't attractive. I mean she just took the smuggling operation. There was no negotiation or conversation. Bonnie just took what belonged to her. Despite the fact that it makes me look like Johnny Jerkoff, it is fucking sexy. Do you understand how powerful Bonnie and I could be together? I love her more now than I already did and I didn't think that was possible."

Zach said, "I imagine that is what Sheila had planned when she arranged your marriage. She just didn't realize how quickly Bonnie would grow to hate you. I mean she put up with Giuseppe for over forty years. Sheila probably assumed that Bonnie would be able to cope until you stopped behaving like an idiot."

Damon took out his phone.

Zach frowned. "What are you doing? Don't bother Bonnie again tonight, Damon. California has stringent stalking statutes."

He said, "I am not going to harass Bonnie."

Damon tapped out a message.

 **Damon: I won't apologize for tonight because I am sure you are tired of hearing my apologies. I will say that I am going to back off. You are right. I had a chance with you and I blew it. I can't expect you to take me back now. I wouldn't take me back after all of the shit I have pulled with you. I only ask that you hold off on the divorce until after the twins are born. I don't want our babies to be born bastards. I do love you. Merry Christmas, Bunny.**

Damon put the phone in his pocket and dropped his head against the seat. "I am right about Tyler, Zio. He's never going to make her happy…not really. You saw that passion tonight. She hates me but that hate is more emotion than she has ever expended on anyone else. Whether she admits it or not Bonnie's heart will always belong to me."

Zach started the car and shook his head. "I guess time will tell. Just make sure that you are out of this funk by the morning. Victor's first Christmas with our family shouldn't be marred by your relationship issues."

"I won't ruin the kid's Christmas. I feel bad enough that I am killing our old man soon. This time next week Victor will be going to his first funeral," he said.

He glanced at his nephew. "It is for the best…you know that."

"I know that but it doesn't mean that I one day I won't have to explain my actions to him. Victor will never know what kind of sick fuck contributed to our DNA. It'll be like you and Ric believing that Nonno walked of fucking water when apparently he was a Grade A asshole. You can add that to him being a raging racist."

Zach had confronted his uncles about Giuseppe's accusations. They admitted that Domenico had been a cruel husband. While he never resorted to physical abuse with his wife, he had been verbally abusive. However, in the old days no one knew anything about verbal and emotional abuse. They barely recognized physical abuse. Giacomo and Bruno also confirmed that Rosemary did commit suicide. They explained how Domenico became cold and distant toward teenaged Giuseppe as a result.

"We can always lie to Victor when he gets older," he suggested.

Damon said, "Maybe."

Zach asked, "Are you ready to spend the day with both of your daughters?"

He brightened a little. "I am nervous. Nadia took the news well but Sarah is still a little confused. Bonnie said that the girls got along well. I am hoping it will still be true now that they know about being related."

"Well, I will be around if you need any help."

"Thanks….for everything," Damon said.

Zach glanced at his nephew and said, "I love you even though you are a constant pain in my ass."

Damon chuckled and looked out the window.


	51. Christmas Day: Part 1

A/N: Normally, I take the good reviews with the bad because constructive criticism is always welcome. Criticism is how an author improves. Moreover, I appreciate that all of you have continued to read this behemoth. However, someone recently accused me of lying about the endgame of this story. It is a peculiar thing to lie about since it is my story and I can choose any pairing that suits my fancy. Therefore, I am going to address this for the last time. **This is a Bamon story. Bamon is endgame. Bonnie is dating Tyler as part of her maturation process. Up to this point her only relationship has been with Damon and he spent the entire time cheating on her. Bonnie deserves to explore life and that is going to happen. The good news is that their marriage has been burned to the ground (which was always my plan). Now they can try building a friendship. The friendship will lead to a reconciliation where there is trust and honesty.**

Now I have received some reasonable criticism on pacing. I am working on the outline to see if I can streamline the story so that it can move faster. It is an ongoing process but I hope to improve with each chapter.

* * *

Bonnie was furious after her encounter with Damon outside the church, but she refused to let him ruin her holiday plans. For the first time since she was a toddler, she would be spending Christmas with both of her parents. Six months ago, she could not have imagined Abby and Rudy being in the same room without fighting. They were behaving civilly towards each other for Bonnie's benefit. The sacrifices that parents made for their children were truly amazing. However, Bonnie was not her parents' sole focus. They were both eager to ensure that Sarah had an amazing Christmas, too.

Sarah was weathering the massive changes in her life admirably. While she obviously missed her father, she was adjusting well to living at Abby's house. She spent her days playing with Cooper and being spoiled rotten by her grandparents. Christmas was such a large production for the Salvatore family. Bonnie was desperate to ensure that Sarah did not miss a single second of the pomp and circumstance. Fortunately, Abby practically turned into Martha Stewart during the holidays. She had filled every nook and cranny of the two-story home with Christmas decorations. The children were probably most enamored with the elevated train set that wrapped around the massive Christmas tree.

On Christmas Eve, Abby had hosted a dinner party at her house. Their cousins from Milazzo attended the party. The Lockwood and Donovan families had joined them, too. Last night had been so much fun, but Christmas morning was a more intimate affair. Bonnie, Abby, and Lucy stayed up most of the night playing the roles of Santa Claus and his elves. Abby had even revived one of her grandmother's Christmas traditions. She placed Christmas stockings at the foot of each child's bed. Abby filled the stockings with small toys, chocolate, nuts, and oranges. Then the women spent the rest of the night assembling the larger gifts that had been hidden from view in the days leading up to Christmas. Rudy even showed up before sunrise to lend a helping hand.

When the kids finally woke up, the living room was overflowing with gifts. It was also covered in fake snow. The kids were awestruck by the winter wonderland. Even Jamie, who had stopped believing in Santa Claus years ago, had a permanent grin on his face. The children had torn through their gifts like little Tasmanian devils. Their hyperactivity was probably bolstered because they had eaten their weight in chocolate by 9 o'clock in the morning. However, none of the women could find it in her heart to be annoyed by the raucousness. Instead, the adults quietly exchanged gifts and watched the children enjoy themselves.

The morning's festivities concluded with a veritable smorgasbord prepared by Abby and Rudy. Everyone lounged around the living room while grazing on the brunch spread and watching Christmas movies. However, around noon Bonnie had to start getting Sarah ready so that she could spend the rest of day with the Salvatore family. They spent most of the time choosing which of her new toys she would take with her. Bonnie had already packed the Disney princess costumes that Rudy had bought for his granddaughter. In hindsight, she probably should have put a limit on what Sarah could take with her. Bonnie just didn't have the heart to tell her little girl no. In all, Sarah packed four bags to take on an overnight trip—she was her mother's daughter.

The young woman was genuinely surprised when Damon adhered to their agreement and allowed Rose to pick up Sarah. Bonnie's only complaint was that her estranged husband had used his friend as a courier service, too. Rose turned up with no less than ten gifts for Bonnie. On a scale of one to ten, it wasn't the worst thing he had ever done. However, the move annoyed Bonnie. She meant it when she told Damon that she didn't want anything from him. She certainly had no interest in gifts that his friend/assistant purchased for her. Bonnie resisted the urge to return the gifts to him out of spite. If Damon was trying to be civil then she could do the same. She would just toss the unwanted gifts in the back of her closet as she had every Christmas since they were married.

Bonnie spent the rest of the afternoon with her family. She had a great time, but Sarah was never far from her mind. They had only been apart for a few hours but already she missed her little girl. Bonnie was happy that Damon wanted to be an active part of their daughter's life. Sarah deserved nothing but the best from both of them. Moreover, Bonnie knew how 'daddy issues' could cause a host of problems in a young person's life. Rudy's absence from her childhood was the cause of many emotional issues that Bonnie had never addressed. Meanwhile, Damon was damn near an emotional cripple because of his old man. She hoped that she and Damon could prevent history from repeating for their daughter.

Around six o'clock, Lucy agreed to drive Bonnie over to the beach house. Tyler had already been there for a few hours preparing for their date. Bonnie didn't want him to put his preparations on hold just to pick her up. Besides, she hoped to overcome her jitters during the short drive to the beach house.

She wondered what he had planned for their first date. Bonnie was both nervous and excited for the night ahead. She had changed her outfit a half dozen times before settling a simple red shift dress. Bonnie didn't want to overdo it when they were staying in for the night.

Bonnie climbed into the passenger side of the SUV and tossed an overnight bag onto the backseat. She said, "Thanks for agreeing to drive me over there, Luce. I haven't had a reason to get my car from the Manor since Matt and Tyler have been driving me everywhere."

Lucy pulled away from Abby's house and said, "It's no big deal, little cuz. I am running you over there for my own selfish reasons."

Bonnie flipped down the visor and gave her makeup a once over. She asked, "How do you mean?"

"I want juicy details first thing in the morning. We can compare notes between Brady and Tyler," she explained with a salacious grin.

Bonnie made a sound of disgust. Brady was hot but she didn't think of him that way. She certainly didn't want details about her older cousin's sex life. She shook her head and scolded Lucy, "We are definitely not doing that."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud. It isn't as if you have a wealth of experience to use as a watermark. You don't want to get sucked into a relationship with someone that is a bad screw—trust me. I might have put up with Jonas' kids hating me if he wasn't absolute trash in bed," she admitted.

The younger girl huffed out a surprised laugh. "Lucy!"

"What? I am just trying to share my years of wisdom with you, Bon," she replied with a grin.

She rolled her eyes in amused exasperation. "Sex isn't everything. Tyler checks off every other box on my list. I'll take a man that respects and loves me over 'good sex' any day of the week."

Lucy cut her eyes at the girl and said, "See that is some shit a woman says when she has never had good dick. I would have thought that Damon's game would be better since he's been whoring around half his life."

"I didn't say that he was bad. It just…isn't very important to me," she explained.

The older woman's expression sobered. "All jokes aside, I have wanted to have a conversation with you for the last couple days. I just didn't really know how to broach the subject. The last thing you need is anyone telling you how to live your life right now. However, I would be a bad cousin if I didn't warn you about what is on the horizon."

Bonnie understood her cousin's apprehension. All her life other people had been making decisions for her with varying degrees of success. Now that she was in control of her own life, Bonnie wasn't eager to relinquish that control again. However, she was wise enough to understand the value of keeping an open mind. She had taken Tyler's counsel on how to handle Klaus. Moreover, she often leaned on Richard for guidance. He had decades of experience and wisdom that he often used to advise her.

Bonnie said, "I am always willing to listen to advice from those with more experience or a different perspective than I have, Luce. I am not going to reject what you have to say without considering it. I am certainly not going to bite your head off when you are only trying to look out for me. What's on your mind?"

Lucy relaxed when she realized that her fears had been unfounded. Somehow, Bonnie managed to be more mature than Lucy had been at the same age. She had rebelled hard and fast against the rules her family tried to place on her. It led to some unfortunate mistakes and a lengthy stay in rehab. She was happy that Bonnie seemed destined to avoid some of her pitfalls.

"I talked to my granny last night to wish her a Merry Christmas. She reiterated something that I already knew to be true. Uncle Johnny is in favor of your relationship with Tyler. However, I am sure that you understand his enthusiasm is about more than just your happiness. He plans to use what Giuseppe did to you to leverage Damon into allowing Richard and his family to leave the Salvatore organization."

She took a deep breath and asked, "He wants them to be aligned with our organization—publically?"

Lucy nodded. "You will lose some of the influence you have over the Salvatore organization but it is a smart move to free your best people from the Salvatore organization."

The younger girl frowned but nodded in understanding. She had expected nothing less from Big John. He loved Bonnie and wanted her to be happy. He had been against her marriage to Damon from the beginning. Then again, he wasn't exactly fond of the Salvatore family. He always thought that the Salvatore family was beneath them. He had fought valiantly with Sheila in the days following her terminal cancer diagnosis. John believed that arranging a marriage between Bonnie and his grandson, Cristian, was the best solution. It would have reunited the Benedetto family for the first time in more than eighty years. In his desperation, Big John even suggested a union between Bonnie and Tyler. The Loiacono family was a stout bunch of loyal soldiers. Their numbers were large in Milazzo. Big John had believed that they could force the Salvatore operation out of Milazzo completely if Bonnie and Tyler married. Unfortunately, Sheila insisted on completing her mother's plan to take everything that belonged to the Salvatore family.

"I appreciate you warning me about Uncle Johnny's ambitions but you do not need to worry. I just got out of a bad marriage that someone else arranged for me. I do not intend to let anyone else badger or cajole me into another one. I am dating Tyler because I love him. I always have and I always will. Maybe Tyler and I will learn that we are soul mates. There is also a chance that we were only ever meant to be best friends. Either way, Tyler and I will make that determination without anyone's interference. We owe that much to each other."

Lucy felt a sense of relief knowing that Bonnie wasn't walking into this situation blind. Her grandmother had been of the same mindset when she shared the information with her. Bonnie had done enough sacrificing for their family.

She said, "You know Uncle Johnny would never try to force into marrying Tyler. However, he will probably try to appeal to your sense of duty. Getting the Loiaconos from under the thumb of the Salvatore family is tantalizing."

"Oh, I agree. I am actually in favor of Uncle Johnny leveraging Damon for their freedom. I hate that Uncle Richie is so shackled by having to move in the shadows. Of course, I will discuss it with him first. This is not a decision I can make for him. The Loiacono and Salvatore families have a long history. However, none of that hinges on whether or not I am in a relationship with Tyler."

The older woman grinned. "Okay then, boss."

She laughed and said, "Don't call me that."

"It is what you are and I am proud to be working for you, little cuz."

"Thanks," Bonnie said.

Lucy smirked and said, "Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, tell me you packed some lingerie in that overnight bag."

She huffed out a laugh and said, "Yes, I packed this baby doll nightie made of blue lace. It is cute. Gemma went with me the other day to buy it. I had no clue what to get. I've never bought lingerie before."

"Oh, baby girl, I didn't even think about that but the baby doll nightie sounds cute. Anyway, I trust Gemma's judgment because she knows her way around lingerie. She has done the honey pot thing enough times for the family. I am going to take you shopping for more lingerie soon. There is just no substitute for making a man's jaw drop when you walk into the bedroom. It is the ultimate confidence booster. Trust me."

"I don't know about making his jaw drop," Bonnie stammered.

She chuckled and asked, "Are you blushing?"

"Shut up. I am worried enough about doing the seduction thing," the girl confessed.

Lucy pulled into the driveway and put the car park. She said, "I am just picking with you. There is no need for you to be nervous. I see the way Tyler looks at you. You could walk into the bedroom with a paper bag on and he would lose his damn mind."

Bonnie sincerely hoped that her cousin was right. She really wanted tonight to be a success. Fortunately, her standards were low. Bonnie would consider the night a success if she didn't embarrass the hell out of herself. She said, "Thanks for the ride and the pep talk, Luce."

She reached into the back seat and grabbed Bonnie's overnight bag. "You are welcome. I love you. Have a good night."

"I will try. I love you, too," Bonnie said as she climbed out of the car.

The girl walked up to the beach house and unlocked the front door. She heard loud music playing in the kitchen. Her mouth started watering the moment she walked into the house. Bonnie didn't know what Tyler decided to cook but it smelled delicious. She locked the door behind her and stopped at the digital panel to set the alarm.

She dropped her bag and purse in the living room before walking into the kitchen. Her eyes skimmed over all the pots and pans littering the counters. Tyler had made quite a mess while trying to cook dinner. She took a moment to watch Tyler stirring some sort of sauce. He was dressed simply in a pair of dark denim jeans and a black shirt. She felt better about the dress she chose for the night. Despite this being their date night, he had a gun holstered on his hip-always prepared. She called out, "Hey."

Tyler smiled and lowered the volume of his music when he heard her. He walked over to Bonnie and pulled her into a warm hug. "Merry Christmas, Bon. You look beautiful."

Bonnie's green eyes moved down to admire the way the black Henley stretched across his broad chest and muscular arms. "You look good, too. How did you manage to keep that shirt so clean while you were cooking?"

He admitted, "I might have changed a couple minutes ago. Dinner is ready to serve. I was just keeping everything warm while I waited for you to arrive."

"Where are we having dinner?" she asked.

Tyler pecked her lips and said, "You can go sit down in the dining room. I will bring everything in there."

Bonnie tried to peer around his broad frame to get a look at what he had prepared for their meal. However, Tyler turned his body to block her. She asked, "Are you sure that you don't need my help with anything?"

He chuckled and patted her on the butt. "I am positive that I don't need your help with anything, Bon. You just go have a seat and I will be there soon."

Bonnie laughed softly and reluctantly pulled away from his embrace. She left the kitchen and walked into the scarcely used dining room. The room's decoration left her speechless. It felt as if she had stepped into a field of flowers. Nearly every available surface was covered in intricately designed floral arrangements. However, instead of bouquets of random flowers, each arrangement featured white calla lilies, red carnations, and jasmine. A centerpiece composed of orchids sat in the middle of the Queen Anne style dining table. There were two place settings on the massive black lacquer table. However, candles and the centerpiece made it feel more intimate.

She bit her lip in an effort to suppress the giddy feeling taking over her. Bonnie shouldn't have been surprised that Tyler knew her favorite flower. He had always been considerate. However, it was still greatly appreciated. Bonnie slowly sat down at the table and eyed the bottle of sparkling cider chilling in a silver bucket.

Tyler walked into the room with a couple serving dishes.

Bonnie said, "This room looks so beautiful, Ty. I can't believe that you did this for me."

He kissed her cheek and asked, "I did a good job?"

She nodded. "It took my breath away."

Tyler plucked a jasmine blossom from one of the arrangements and tucked it behind Bonnie's ear. "I know the feeling…"

Her heart began to beat faster when he caressed her cheek.

"I will be right back and then we can start eating," he promised.

Bonnie surveyed the food with a grin. Tyler had gone old school for the dishes he prepared this evening. One of the many things that the Benedetto and Loiacono families had in common was their seafaring roots. Once upon a time, their ancestors had been fishermen. Therefore, most of their families' oldest recipes contained seafood. It was actually true for many Sicilian families. However, the Benedetto and Loiacono families hadn't lost that connection even after living in America for well over one hundred years.

He returned a few minutes later with the last of the food and then sat beside Bonnie. "You don't need to worry. I talked to Ailene first and made sure that all of this stuff was safe for you to eat."

She leaned over and kissed him without warning.

Afterwards he pulled back with a smile. "What was that for?"

"Dinner…"

He chuckled and said, "You haven't even tried it yet."

She said, "I don't care. This is all amazing. Thank you, Ty."

Tyler cradled Bonnie's face and kissed her again. "You're welcome. Now let's eat because I am starving."

"Me, too," she agreed.

Tyler wasted no time piling food on his plate. He filled Bonnie's glass with sparkling cider. He settled on a bottle of beer.

Bonnie's eyes flitted between the different dishes on offer. She didn't know what to choose first. Finally, she decided to just get a little of everything. Bonnie started eating and she wasn't disappointed. The meal tasted as good as it smelled.

"This is amazing, Ty," Bonnie complimented.

"Thank you."

"Did you have any help?" she asked skeptically.

He chuckled and said, "Maybe just a little. Lexi actually made dessert for us and I pinched the recipes from Nonna. But I cooked the meal on my own."

"I am impressed. What's for dessert?" she asked curiously. Bonnie had a notorious sweet tooth.

"Lexi baked almond cookies and made Bacione di Taormina," he said.

Bonnie gave an involuntary moan. "That sounds heavenly. I kinda want to skip dinner and go straight for dessert."

Tyler grinned at her. "Me, too."

She bit her lip in response to the innuendo.

The young couple focused on eating dinner with only light conversation about the food. Neither would admit it aloud but they were both nervous.

When they finished eating dinner, Tyler asked, "Do you want to eat dessert in the living room?"

"Sure. We'd probably be more comfortable in there."

He kissed her cheek. "I will clean up in here and meet you in the living room."

Bonnie decided not to offer her help. She knew that Tyler would not accept it. He seemed set on spoiling her tonight and she loved it. "Okay."

She walked out of the dining room and grabbed her overnight bag. She had stashed Tyler's Christmas gift in it. Afterwards, she walked over to the couch and kicked off her heels. She curled up in the corner of the couch and waited for Tyler.

He emerged from the kitchen sometime later with a large tray. The tray contained both dessert options and two mugs of hot chocolate. He placed it on the coffee table before sitting beside Bonnie.

The girl wasted no time swiping several almond cookies to dunk into her hot chocolate. She sighed happily. "Remind me to thank Lexi for baking these."

Tyler chuckled. He got comfortable on the couch and said, "You've got it. How has your Christmas been so far?"

He hated that they had to spend a portion of the day apart. However, they both had commitments to honor with their respective families. Besides, they had spent Christmas Eve together. Tyler couldn't remember the last time he had so much fun.

"It was great. I had such a good time with the kids this morning. You should have seen them riding their bikes around the neighborhood. I even got some good video of Jamie trying to teach Sarah to ride her bike without training wheels."

He smiled. "That's great, Bon. Maybe you can show me the video later."

"Sure," she replied.

"How was it having your parents in the same house for Christmas morning?"

The green-eyed girl explained, "Well, I have always spent Christmas with my mom. She was there every year even if she was touring with a band. It was strange having my dad there this morning but nice. I really enjoyed spending time with him. They really made an effort to be civil. I know there is still bad blood between them but they put it aside for me. I am grateful."

Tyler said, "That is great, Bon. I am glad that you got to spend Christmas with your family."

"How was your Christmas?" she asked.

He chuckled and said, "It was crowded as fuck but fun. We played basketball in the backyard after the kids opened their presents."

"Who won?" the girl asked curiously. Bonnie had witnessed the competitive nature that the Lockwood men seemed to possess.

"Depends on who you ask," he replied with a smile. "My old man hard fouled me on the way to the basket. My mom called the game early and declared my team the winner of the game."

She laughed softly and shook her head. "Mama's boy…"

"Guilty as charged. She owed me anyway for acting as a buffer between her and Kelly. Navigating around them was like walking through a mind field. They hate each other and I have no idea why."

Bonnie laughed and shook her head. "My mom said they've been like that for as long as she can remember. Knowing Kelly's reputation it is probably about a man."

"Probably…"

She winced, "Don't tell Matt that I said that."

He laughed. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Did you get anything good for Christmas?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Mom and Dad bought a bigger TV for my media room. It is humongous but Mom paid extra for someone to install it for me. They're coming next week. Just in time for the start of the playoffs."

Bonnie said, "That's cool."

"What about you? I am sure Abby went overboard for you this year," he said.

She laughed and nodded. "You have no idea. Most of it was for the babies but she bought a ton of clothes for me, too. And shoes…lots of shoes that are gorgeous but will hurt my swollen ankles."

"Sexy swollen ankles," he replied with a smirk.

Bonnie grinned and shook her head. "You are ridiculous."

"I'm serious. It'll give me the opportunity to massage your feet and ankles. You said yourself that I have a foot fetish."

Her eyes widened comically. "I said that as a joke! Do you really have a foot fetish?"

Tyler chuckled. He leaned forward and kissed her. "No, I don't have a foot fetish. I just wanted to see your face. It was worth it."

She lightly hit his arm. "Don't make fun of me."

"I would never," he murmured before kissing her again.

Bonnie let out a quiet moan that surprised even her. She pulled back sheepishly.

Tyler knew when to pick on Bonnie and when it was a bad idea. He asked, "Do you want to exchange gifts now?"

She nodded. "Sure…"

Tyler reached behind the couch and picked up a large silver box topped with a red bow.

Bonnie clutched the brown envelope that contained Tyler's gift. She hoped that he would like what she bought for him. However, seeing the large gift meant for her was giving her second thoughts. She said, "It is almost too beautiful to open, Ty."

He chuckled and said, "Well, you just have to pop the top off it. You don't even have to rip the paper."

She handed Tyler the envelope after he placed her gift on the coffee table. "You should go first."

Tyler lifted an eyebrow but went along with her request. He opened the envelope and flipped through the contents. Tyler looked at Bonnie in shock. "This is amazing, Bon. Thank you."

"Really? You don't think it is a stupid or impersonal?" she asked nervously.

He pulled Bonnie onto his lap and said, "It is neither of those things, Bon. I love this. We're not even going to talk about how much it costs to rent a suite for the Super Bowl. I am assuming that we are going to the game together, right?"

She laughed and nodded. "Well, I was hoping that you would take me but..."

He glanced at the paper in front of him and said, "The suite comes with 20 tickets. I am sure that I can save one for you."

"You are incredibly benevolent," she joked.

Tyler said, "There is no one I want to be there with more than you, Bon. I guess we can take a few members of our annoying families. Brady might actually kill me if I don't invite him."

She laughed. "No, he would definitely kill you."

He shook his head. "Now I am worried that my gift isn't good enough."

"I'm sure that it is great, Ty. I'm going to love it because it is from you," she promised.

Bonnie lifted the top off the box and removed the tissue paper. Her eyes fell onto the 20 X 24 sterling silver picture frame first. It took a moment for her to recognize the black and white picture. Bonnie's fingers slid across the glass reverently.

Tyler became concerned when he saw tears welling up in Bonnie's eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it would upset you."

"No, I'm not upset. I love this, Ty. I honestly can't think of a better gift," she whispered in a shaky voice.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Bonnie looked up at him with watery eyes and nodded. "I am positive. It is beautiful. How did you find this?"

"I came across this picture a few months ago. I was helping my grandmother organize her photos. I decided to have it cropped and blown up for you."

She went back to looking at the photo. Until this moment, she didn't even know that there were pictures from that ill-fated wedding nearly two decades ago. She stared at the broad smile on her great-uncle's face. No one knew that would be his last day on Earth. However, for that brief moment he was happy. The picture was snapped while he was swinging Bonnie around. She wiped away her tears and said, "You said that you cropped the picture. What else was in the original?"

Tyler picked up the large frame and placed it on the coffee table. Beneath was a much smaller frame that contained the same photo. In the full version, Tyler and his grandfather were visible. The little boy was sitting atop his grandfather's shoulders.

Both pictures were incredibly beautiful but also stark reminders of what both their families lost that day. Paul and Alonzo had been killed mere hours later. Bonnie leaned in and kissed Tyler passionately. "Thank you. I love it and I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispered as he tightened his arms around her.


	52. Christmas Day: Part 2

As teenagers, Bonnie and Tyler had fooled around occasionally. They never crossed the line to intercourse for fear of Sheila's reaction. The moment it seemed the teens were getting too close, Tyler had been shipped to Milazzo for the summer. Her grandmother was not hypocritical enough to argue for the virtue of saving oneself for marriage from a religious standpoint. Bonnie had bore witness to Sheila's relationship with Giuseppe. However, she often reminded her granddaughter that a powerful man might shun a wife that had been previously claimed by another. It was a double standard but Bonnie had known that her grandmother was speaking the truth. Many men, especially those in the mafia, desired a semblance of purity from their wives.

While Bonnie and Tyler had never crossed that line, she had thought about it at length. Over the years, she had amassed a collection of sordid fantasies starring her best friend. Those fantasies were useful when Bonnie was going through a dry spell. Damon was certainly a capable lover, but she wasn't always interested in having sex with him. Sometimes it was difficult to feign attraction to her husband when she knew he had just spent the weekend with his mistress. Yet Bonnie always made herself available to Damon out of duty and some naïve hope that one day she would be enough to satisfy him.

Despite years of fantasies, there was no denying that Bonnie had been nervous about having sex with Tyler. Logically, she knew that Damon's infidelity had nothing to do with her desirability or sexual prowess. Nevertheless, there was still a small voice in the back of Bonnie's head fueling her deep-seated insecurities. Fortunately, Tyler was able to rely on years of friendship to drag Bonnie out of her own head and into the moment. He planned their entire night around ignoring the outside world and focusing on the bond they shared. After finishing dessert, the couple went upstairs to the master bedroom. The bedroom was awash with more floral arrangements and candles. It was far more than Bonnie had been expecting when they agreed to having their first 'date'.

The piece de résistance was a toe curling massage that left Bonnie practically boneless. In different circumstances, she would have fallen asleep to The Weekend crooning softly over the speakers. However, the twenty-minute massage only stoked the flames of her desire. The need for sexy lingerie was all but forgotten by the time Tyler finished massaging the tension out of her muscles. The couple shed any lingering doubts as they methodically devoured each other atop the rose petal strewn bed. Their first time together was passionate and frenzied as they gave into years of sexual tension. Tyler was now certain that his name never sounded better than when Bonnie moaned it in the throes of an orgasm.

Bonnie had required a nap after their first time. An early Christmas morning coupled with normal pregnancy fatigue meant that she was exhausted. However, Tyler was not disappointed since they had all night together. Bonnie had stirred just after midnight and she had been eager for an encore. Rounds two and three had been languid and lustful as the old friends became intimately acquainted with every inch of each other's bodies.

Tyler was particularly fond of a space on Bonnie's inner thigh that made her mewl with pleasure each time his fingers grazed it. Said thigh was curled around Tyler's waist as he plunged into her heated core. She was close and her walls tightening around his length was quickly pushing him to the brink, too. Yet he was reluctant for this moment to end because he knew it would end their night. Bonnie was certainly going to need another couple of hours of sleep after this.

It was a morbid idea to have in the moment, but Tyler was certain that he could die a happy man while buried in her warmth. His lips sought out a spot on Bonnie's neck to continue work on a hickey he had started earlier. He was quickly becoming addicted to the sweet taste of her soft skin. He moved his lips to Bonnie's ear and whispered softly.

The green-eyed girl shuddered as Tyler whispered absolute filth into her ear. She could now add dirty talk to the list of things that aroused her. It felt as if every nerve in Bonnie's body was firing at the same time. Tyler's deliberate pace was maddening. She wanted more but couldn't seem to find the words. She whined softly, "Ty, please…"

Tyler gazed down into her eyes as the candlelight flickered from beside the bed. He grabbed Bonnie's other leg and wrapped it around him. He snapped his hips forward and delighted in the desperate moan that escaped Bonnie's lips as he filled her completely. In a gravelly voice, he whispered, "I like hearing you beg."

Bonnie's breathing hitched as she rolled her hips forward to meet his quickening thrusts.

His last shred of control fell away as he watched Bonnie in fascination. Her slender fingers sought the sensitive bundle of nerves at the apex of her quivering thighs. She was desperate to find the release that Tyler had been delaying. In different circumstances, he would be content to play the voyeur and watch his love chase her own pleasure. In fact, he tucked that idea away for later consideration. In that moment, he wanted to be the sole reason she fell apart.

Dots filled Bonnie's vision as Tyler plunged into her with an intensity that she had never before experienced. Just a few minutes later, Bonnie gave a strangled cry of pleasure as she climaxed for the third or fourth time that night. Her entire body trembled from the force.

The way Bonnie's body tensed around Tyler was enough to send him hurtling over the edge, too. He held onto her hips as waves of pleasure washed over him. Tyler slowed to a stop and then pulled Bonnie closer as they rode out of the powerful aftershocks.

She sought Tyler's lips with a moan. Afterwards she collapsed onto the bed with a sigh of content.

Tyler slowly withdrew from Bonnie and leaned down to kiss her once more. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered.

Tyler shifted to the space beside Bonnie and collected her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head as his heart rate returned to normal.

She giggled softly.

He looked down at her face and jested, "I can't speak for all men, but hearing your girlfriend laugh after sex is disconcerting."

Bonnie bit her lip to stifle another wave of giggles. "I'm sorry. I am not laughing at you, Ty."

Tyler tickled her stomach and asked, "Then what is so funny?"

"I was just thinking that I have to move out of my mother's house so that we can do that more often," she answered.

He flashed a cocky grin and said, "I like the way you think, Bon."

Bonnie said, "Well, I've always been the brains in this friendship."

He flexed his arm around Bonnie and replied, "I got no problem being the muscle."

Bonnie rested her head against Tyler's bare chest as his hand caressed the length of her back. She kept waiting for the overwhelming feeling of guilt to settle in the pit of her stomach. She was still married to Damon despite having served him with divorce papers. However, it was quickly becoming clear that there would be no feelings of guilt or regret. Having sex with Tyler might have been wrong but it felt so incredibly right.

Tyler kissed the top of Bonnie's head and tightened his arms around her. He didn't need anyone to tell him that sleeping with his boss was a bad idea. It was an even worse idea because his boss as also his childhood best friend. Tyler recognized that pursuing a relationship with Bonnie could blow up in his face. Yet he couldn't bring himself to regret the decision they made. Tyler had been telling the truth when he told Bonnie that he loved her. Being with Bonnie was worth the risk they were both taking.

"Ty?" she whispered tentatively.

He looked down at Bonnie and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm hungry," she replied sheepishly.

Tyler huffed out an amused laugh. "Do you want leftovers or do you want me to make a sandwich?"

Bonnie silently weighed the options before she asked, "Would you mind heating up the leftovers for me?"

He kissed her softly. "Nah. If I am being honest, I am hungry again, too."

She chuckled and said, "Oh, good. I really didn't feel like going downstairs."

Tyler climbed out of the bed and grabbed his boxers from the floor. He asked, "What kind of boyfriend do you think I am?"

She bit her lip and said, "The best."

He winked at Bonnie before heading down to the kitchen.

"Wash your hands before touching the food! I know where they've been," she called out.

Tyler laughed loud enough for her to hear as he walked down to the kitchen. "Yes, dear!"

Bonnie decided to use the time alone to take a quick shower. When she emerged from the bathroom, Tyler was waiting for her with leftovers from dinner and dessert.

He had turned on the overhead lights. Meanwhile, he was in the process of blowing out the dozens of candles placed around the bedroom. I brought up a little of everything since I didn't know what you would want.

Bonnie grabbed his Henley from the floor and pulled it on before she climbed onto the bed. She eyed the plate that he had placed on the bedside table with a bright smile. "This is perfect, Ty. Thank you."

Tyler sat beside her on the bed once he had extinguished all the candles. He picked up his own plate and sat back against the headboard. "You're welcome."

"Do you want to watch a movie or something?" she asked.

He chuckled. "You are going to fall asleep as soon as you finish eating."

"No, I'm not," she argued.

He lifted an eyebrow but didn't argue the point. "What do you want to watch?"

Bonnie turned on the television and flicked through the stations. "Oh, ESPN is replaying the Warriors and Cavaliers game. Do you want to watch that?"

He nodded and said, "Yeah. I only got to see bits and pieces when it was on earlier. I can't believe they lost at the last moment."

She chuckled and said, "Jamie was heartbroken. Mama pointed out that they won last Christmas but then lost the championship. Jamie is convinced that the Warriors will win the championship this summer now."

"Poor kid doesn't understand the difference between correlation and causation yet," he replied with a smirk.

"They'd better win. They have Kevin Durant on the squad now instead of Harrison Barnes. If they can't beat Lebron with KD on the roster then they need to the throw the whole team away," she argued.

Tyler chuckled and asked, "Just throw the whole team away?"

She nodded.

"Okay, Coach Bennett," he teased.

"I'm upper management thank you very much," she quipped with a smirk. "I see myself more as president of basketball operations or maybe the general manager."

"The great evaluator of talent," he said with a smirk.

She shrugged her shoulders and flashed an impish smile. "I'm a natural leader."

Tyler looked at her and said, "That you are. I'd follow you anywhere, Bon."

Bonnie ducked her head sheepishly. She grabbed the remote and increased the television's volume. Then she started eating. "It tastes even better the second go around. You are going to spoil me if you cook like this too often."

"I'll cook as often as you want. We gotta fatten you up a little bit," he replied.

"You sound like Mama. She is always randomly bringing me snacks. I swear a couple of days ago she gave me a cup of dry Honey Nut Cheerios as if I am Savannah's age. I mean I ate them but I still complained."

Tyler chuckled. "Abby should have just given you a bowl of Peanut Butter Cap N Crunch. You would have been too busy stuffing your face to complain."

She glared at him but then nodded in agreement. "I don't care how old I get. I will never stop eating kids' cereal."

"Oh, I know. If I ever catch you eating a healthy cereal I will suspect that you have been switched with a pod person."

Bonnie washed down her food with the glass of milk that Tyler had brought up for her. She said, "Lucy and I were talking as she drove me over here. She mentioned that Uncle Johnny plans to leverage Damon into letting your family leave the Salvatore organization. How do you think it would go over with your family here and abroad?"

Tyler stopped chewing mid bite. He quickly swallowed and said, "I know my old man would be over the moon. You know how much he hates the Salvatores for what they did to my grandfather. The only reason he even followed in Nonno's footsteps is because he was loyal to Miss Emily."

Emily had paid for Richard's very expensive Ivy League education and subsequent business degree. While Alonso was out of prison by the time his eldest went off to college, he was in no position to afford such a high priced university. Emily hadn't required Richard's allegiance to her family. She considered paying for his education as part of the original deal that she made with Alonso. She ensured his family had only the best while she employed him as a double agent.

She asked, "What about back home? I assume that Uncle Johnny has already tested the waters with the Loiaconos in Milazzo. He wouldn't waste this sort of opportunity if he wasn't reasonably sure that the majority of your family would be in favor of the public switch."

"I would be surprised if there were any hold outs. The rank and file were ready to revolt when Domenico first betrayed my grandfather. They only stood pat because Nonno was worried that the Salvatores would slaughter our people while he was in prison," he explained.

Bonnie knew that Tyler was right. Domenico was a shrewd man. He would have tried to crush the Loiacono family because Alonso was imprisoned and unable to lead them. She said, "I told Lucy that I would talk to your father before I let Uncle Johnny make that move. I won't force your family to make such a drastic change. I wanted to run it by you first to see what you thought about it."

He appreciated the respect and considerateness that Bonnie was showing his family. As a matter of principle, she didn't have to consult Richard. The Loiacono family owed their allegiance and loyalty to her organization. However, the women that helmed the Bennett family never forgot the reason that the Salvatore organization had lost his family. The entire concept of the mafia was built on mutual trust and respect between people of the same tradition. It couldn't prosper without both.

He said, "Well, I am on board with it. I think my dad will be, too. When are you planning to talk to him about it?"

"I was thinking of asking him to drop by Mama's house later today. I want to give him as much time as possible to think about it. But we don't have long considering that Uncle Johnny will be arriving in a few days. I don't have a firm date yet but I know he plans to be here for New Years Eve. Mama is scrambling to plan something for the night now. He's bringing my uncles Gianni and Maurizio with him."

Tyler blinked in surprise. Gianni and Maurizio were Big John's sons. The two men helped their father helm the Benedetto family's massive international organization. Therefore, the two men rarely made the trip stateside because they had other responsibilities. "Shit…"

Bonnie nodded and said, "Aunt Geneva is coming in from Miami, too."

Geneva was Sheila's sister and the only surviving child of Emily.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "I will start to worry if you say that Big John is bringing his sister with him, too."

She understood his concern. Bonnie loved her aunt but the woman might as well have been the personification of death. Fiammetta, had only come to the United States a handful of times in the last forty years. She had attended Emily, Paul, and Sheila's funerals. Fiammetta had also attended Bonnie and Damon's wedding. The remaining time she made the trip was when the Bennett family was dragged into the bloody mob war that Giuseppe started. His enemies had targeted the Bennett organization because they were the Salvatores' allies. Fiammetta orchestrated a deadly strike following a rival's funeral that killed or seriously injured scores of made men. The crushing blow had given Giuseppe and Mikael the momentum they needed to end the two-year war. There were those that questioned if the move was honorable because everyone tended to respect the sanctity of funerals. However, Fiammetta had seen quite enough of men and their wars after Sheila and Abby had nearly been killed by a car bomb.

Bonnie shook her head and said, "That's not part of the plan as far as I am aware. I have been thinking about making a trip home to see her before the twins are born. I will definitely have to go to Milazzo if Uncle Johnny convinces Damon to let your family go. I will need to meet face to face with the rest of your family."

Tyler knew that Bonnie wouldn't make the same mistake that Damon had made in neglecting the relationships in Milazzo. Despite living stateside for her entire life, Bonnie's heart was very much in Milazzo. Sheila and even Abby were similar in that way. "They are going to respect and love you the way they did Miss Emily and Miss Sheila."

She smiled in response. They settled into a comfortable silence while eating and watching the game.

A little later, her green eyes narrowed when she heard her phone ringing. It was nearly 3:30 in the morning. She couldn't imagine who would call so late. Bonnie placed her cleared plate on the nightstand and grabbed her phone. She frowned when she saw that Damon was calling.

Tyler glanced at the phone and asked, "Seriously?"

Bonnie muted the television and answered the phone. "Hello?"

" _Hi, Bunny. I hope that I didn't wake you up," he said apologetically._

"No, I was up eating a snack. Is everything okay with Sarah?"

 _He said, "Sarah is fine but she had a nightmare. She won't tell what it is about. I've been trying to get her back to sleep for the last hour but she isn't having it. Stefan has tried to help but nothing seems to be working. Sarah wants you."_

Bonnie's heart dropped into her stomach when she heard that Sarah had a nightmare. She had been sleeping peacefully at Abby's house for the last week. "Can you put her on the phone?"

" _Sure." A moment later, Sarah's soft voice was on the phone. "I'm sorry. I want to come home, Mama."_

Bonnie wasn't sure if it was pregnancy hormones but she felt like crying for her daughter. "No, it's okay, bambolina. I will come and get you right now. Give the phone to Papa."

 _Sarah sniffled. "Okay." Damon said, "I can bring Sarah over there so that you don't have to come out the house. It's late."_

"No, I will pick up Sarah. I have been thinking about getting my car from the house. This is the perfect time to do it. I will be there soon. Can you pack up Sarah's stuff for me?"

 _He said, "Sure. I'll see you when you get here."_

Bonnie ended the call and sighed softly. "I should have known that Sarah would have a nightmare being back at the Manor.''

Tyler rubbed Bonnie's back and said, "You can't beat yourself up about that, Bon. She spent several nights in the Manor once you came back from Shadow Hills without any nightmares."

Bonnie said, "I know but…it is her first time being there without me."

He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Get dressed and I will drive you over there to get her."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He kissed her softly. "Hey, there is no reason to be sorry. Sarah comes first."

Bonnie climbed out of the bed and took off his shirt. She smiled softly. "You will probably need this."

He chuckled and said, "I don't know. I think I can pull off the shirtless look."

She smirked at him. "You definitely could."

Tyler dressed in his previously discarded clothes and then sat on the side of the bed to put on his shoes. Afterwards, he collected the dishes from their snack. He said, "I am going to go put these in the dishwasher."

She finished pulling on a striped maxi dress and said, "I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes."

He nodded. "Okay."

Bonnie found a pair of flip-flops to slip on her feet. Then she went to brush her teeth. As she was walking back into the room, her eyes drifted to the bed. Bonnie didn't know when she would return to the beach house. She technically hadn't moved into the house despite the work on it being finished.

She pulled the sheets off the bed and took them to the laundry room down the hall. Bonnie tossed them into the washer but didn't bother starting the machine.

When Bonnie made it downstairs Tyler was standing over the sink eating almond cookies. She teased him, "We just ate."

Tyler grinned at her and said, "Oh, these aren't for me. They're for Sarah."

She laughed at him. "You want to give my five-year-old almond cookies in the middle of the night?"

He shrugged. "Why not? It's not like she has a job to go to in the morning. Come on. I want her to like me."

Bonnie sobered somewhat. She took his hand. "She does like you, Ty. But fine you can bring the cookies."

Tyler grinned at Bonnie and then put the lid on the Tupperware container. "Let's go get her."

They turned out the lights on the way out of the house. Then the couple piled into Tyler's car and set off for the Salvatore Manor.

Bonnie held Tyler's hand while he drove. "You'll have to stay in the car while I am in the house."

He chuckled, "I am aware. I don't actually want Damon to shoot me in the face."

"Neither do I. I happen to love this face."

"Yeah?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes and said, "You know that I do."

"Are you going to be okay being alone with him?" he asked after a beat.

The green-eyed girl nodded. "You don't need to worry about me, Ty. Damon is crazy but he isn't stupid. Besides, he wouldn't do anything to upset Sarah more than she already is."

He didn't share Bonnie's faith in Damon but this was hardly the time to argue the point.

Bonnie fiddled with the radio to find something to fill the silence. They were both anxious about Damon's reaction to seeing Tyler with her. Just because Damon didn't react in front of Sarah, didn't mean that there wouldn't be consequences later.

When they arrived at the Manor, Tyler slowed to a stop at the front gate. He leaned out the car and pressed the call button. Then he leaned forward so that the guard manning the cameras could see his face.

Bonnie hated being here. She would be happy never to see the Manor again. It felt like a prison.

He drove up to the main house after the gate opened. Tyler parked in front of the house. "I'm going to go see who is on duty and get them to bring your car around front, Bon."

She squeezed his hand and said, "Thank you."

Bonnie climbed out of the car and walked up to the front door. She knocked rather than using her keys to enter the house.

Damon opened the door. He smiled tiredly. "Hi, Bunny. Sarah will be down in a minute. She insisted on taking her new baby dolls home with her tonight. Stefan is helping her pack. I am sorry for dragging you out of the house so late at night."

She shook her head as she walked into the house. "It is fine. I am just glad that you called me."

He said, "I wouldn't keep Sarah here if she wanted to go home with you. I miss her but…"

"It's just the first try. She will stay the night again, Damon. Maybe what happened here with Giuseppe isn't so far in the past for our little girl," she replied sadly.

Bonnie knew that night still lingered in her own mind. The visible bruises were all healed but the mental ones sometimes woke her up at night.

He swallowed thickly because he had wondered the same thing. "You think she had a nightmare about him?"

Bonnie said, "It is the first thing that came to mind when you called me. I suppose it is just as likely that Sarah had a nightmare that any normal five-year-old might have. Either way, I will talk to her about it when we get home. I'll let you know if it is anything that would cause us to be concerned."

He nodded. "Thanks."

Her green eyes moved up the stairs when she heard footsteps. She smiled seeing her daughter walking down the stairs with her poor uncle serving as a porter.

Sarah's eyes lit up when she saw her mother waiting in the foyer. She bounded down the stairs and rushed into Bonnie's arm. "I missed you, Mama!"

Bonnie lifted Sarah up and hugged her tight. "I missed you too, bambolina. Did you have fun here with Papa?"

She nodded. "Papa got me a big sister and a little brother!"

Damon chuckled and said, "Victor is your uncle…"

"Oh!" she said. "I like them."

"Really? Well, you are going to have to tell me all about them on the way back to Nonna's house. But first hug your papa goodbye."

Sarah landed on her feet and ran over to Damon. "Bye, Papa. I had fun."

Stefan hugged Bonnie and said, "Belated Merry Christmas, Bunny."

"Same to you, Stef," Bonnie said.

Damon hugged Sarah. "I had fun, too. Maybe you can come over again soon."

"Okay," she said affably.

He felt the remaining tension bleed from his body upon hearing that she wasn't afraid to return. He smoothed a hand over her wild black curls and said, "I'll help you take your bags out to the car."

Bonne said, "Uh, that won't be necessary. I can handle carrying everything outside."

"It's not a problem. Besides, I don't want you having to lift all of these bags in your condition. Our daughter does not travel light."

She looked at Stefan with wide eyes. She hoped that he would read the sheer panic on her face.

Stefan stifled a groan because he understood her expression perfectly. Damon had ranted for hours the previous day about Tyler being at Midnight Mass with her. He didn't want a repeat or worse tonight.

Damon looked between his wife and his brother since they weren't exactly being subtle.

"Just sit this one out, Damon," Stefan said firmly.

Bonnie took Sarah's hand and picked up two of her bags. She was happy to see her car waiting in front of the house. The back was already open.

Tyler walked up to Bonnie and took the bags from her. He tossed them into the back of the car.

"Thanks. I am going to get Sarah settled in the car," she said.

Stefan frowned at his friend as he loaded the rest of the bags into the car. He whispered, "Are you crazy?"

Tyler asked, "Who else was going to bring her this time of night?"

"Anybody but you," he snapped.

Tyler whispered heatedly, "There was no one else to bring her."

Stefan sighed deeply and said, "My brother…"

"I know. I am trying to steer clear of him as much as I can."

"I don't know if that is going to be enough in the long run, Tyler. Maybe you should consider taking off for a while. Go visit your family."

Tyler clapped Stefan on the back. "That ain't happening. If I am going to die it won't be while on the run."

Stefan's eyebrows furrowed to express his concern. He said, "I hope you understand that is a real possibility."

"I do and I am telling you she's fucking worth it."

Stefan stared at his friend for a moment and then nodded. "Okay. I'll do everything I can to keep him off you."

Tyler was looking over Stefan's shoulder. "I appreciate the gesture but I don't think even you will be able to do that."

Stefan followed Tyler's gaze to find Damon glaring daggers at them. "Great…"

He closed the back of the car and walked around to Bonnie's door. He said, "I'll follow you back to Abby's house."

Bonnie was tempted to say something to Damon. She needed to reinforce the seriousness of her previous threat. However, she would not start an argument in front of Sarah.

Tyler said, "We'll talk about it later…"

Sarah was munching on an almond cookie in the backseat. "Thank you for the cookies, Tyler."

"You're welcome," he said with a smile. Tyler closed Bonnie's door and then walked back to his own car.

Stefan walked back to the house. "Damon…"

Damon held up a hand to silence his younger brother. His stormy blue eyes watched as Bonnie drove away from the manor. Afterwards he turned and walked into the house without a word. Damon was not obtuse nor was he unseeing. Bonnie had tried to use her braids to obscure the hickeys on her neck—she failed. He didn't know if Tyler was fucking his wife but he figured it wouldn't be long.

Stefan closed the door and hurried after his brother. "Damon!"

"Leave it alone, Stefan. I don't want or need a fucking babysitter right now. Go back to bed," Damon ordered in a tense voice.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm about to go spend some quality time with the old man," Damon sneered.

"Oh, fuck," Stefan muttered.

He turned around and raced up the stairs to the west wing. He literally skidded to a stop in front of Zach and Meredith's bedroom. Stefan knocked on the door once before he burst into the room. He flipped on the lights. "Zio!"

Zach reached for his gun but stopped short when he recognized his nephew's voice. He sat up in bed with a glare. "You better have a good reason for bursting into our room at this ungodly time of morning."

Meredith groaned and pulled the sheet up to cover herself more. "Is someone hurt?"

"There better be," he grumbled. Long healed scars decorated the shirtless man's chest.

Stefan said, "I'm sorry but I need you now, Zio. Damon is about to go off the deep end."

He could see the near panic on his nephew's face. Zach ran a hand through his hair and leaned over to kiss Meredith. "I'm sorry, cara. Go back to sleep. I will see you in the morning."

Meredith nodded with a yawn. "Wake me up if you need to me patch someone up."

Zach climbed out of the bed and pulled on a bathrobe to cover his boxers. He said, "Here's hoping that it won't come to that."

Stefan didn't share his uncle's optimism.

The older man followed Stefan out of his bedroom and asked, "What's going on?"

"Sarah had a nightmare and couldn't get back to sleep. Bonnie picked up Sarah but Tyler was with her. He stayed outside the whole time but Damon saw him. Now he's headed down to the cellar to see Giuseppe."

Zach slowed down for just a moment to gape at Stefan. He couldn't believe that Bonnie would behave with such blatant disrespect towards Damon. Even if she no longer cared for his feelings, she should have at least been mindful of the precarious nature of Tyler's situation. Once his brain kicked into gear, Zach ran down to the cellar as if he hadn't spent years as a heavy smoker.

He opened the door so fast that it slammed against the wall. Unfortunately, he had not been fast enough to stop Damon. The first thing he noticed was the heavy smell of gunpowder from a freshly fired gun. Then his eyes shifted to where Giuseppe was sprawled on the concrete floor.

Giuseppe writhed in pain as blood gushed from two holes in his stomach.

"What the fuck, Damon?" Zach blustered.

Damon was sitting near the door as he watched his father bleed out. "We said he was dead after Christmas. It's after Christmas."

Giuseppe looked at his younger son. He choked out, "Help me…"

Stefan shook his head. He didn't know if he would have been capable of pulling the trigger himself, but he certainly had no interest in saving his father's life. Giuseppe had earned this death a million times over.

Zach snapped, "This has fuck all to do with Giuseppe and you know it, Damon! This is you throwing a fucking temper tantrum."

"It's better than me blowing Tyler's brains out!" he screamed. "Is that what you want me to do?"

Zach shook his head. "At least finish him off, Damon."

He said, "Not a chance. I figure he can probably survive a couple of hours like this."

Zacharias knew that his nephew was right. He had used a small caliber gun to shoot Giuseppe in the stomach. It was a slow and painful way to die. He slammed his fist into the door. "Fuck! Stefan…"

The younger man's eyes were locked onto the tear-filled ones of his father.

Zach smacked the boy on the back of the head. "Hey! Get it together. I need you to put the wheels in motion like we planned."

Stefan startled out of the almost trance like stare. He blinked and looked at his uncle and nodded. "Okay…"

"Now," he insisted.

Stefan slowly ambled out of the room. He would need to drag Grayson Gilbert from his warm bed. He was Giuseppe's doctor. He was also responsible for signing a falsified death certificate. The document would certify that Giuseppe died from a heart attack in his own bed. He also needed to arrange transportation for Giuseppe's body to the funeral home. They needed to have him cremated before anyone outside of their organization got a look at the body.

Zach looked at Damon once more. He rested a hand against the crown of his head. "I need to go put on pants. Then I am going to wake up Ric and our uncles. Don't do anything else until I get back, nipote."

Damon nodded numbly but his eyes were still locked onto Giuseppe.

Zach sighed and walked out of the room. This family was going to be the death of him.


	53. Power Shift

It had been two days since Damon informed Bonnie of Giuseppe's long overdue death. She had been waiting for the feeling of satisfaction to fade but she was still on cloud nine. Father Finn would be performing the completely undeserved funeral Mass tomorrow evening. Afterwards, everyone would gather at the Salvatore Manor for the traditional funeral repast. Bonnie was so eager to celebrate his demise that she didn't even mind playing 'happy families' with Damon for the occasion. Giuseppe was a vermin that someone should have exterminated years ago. However, everyone had allowed his reign of terror to continue for some unfathomable reason. The old bastard would probably still be at the helm of the family if Bonnie had not provided Damon with his taped confession. Moreover, it was under her orders that Senior had located Giuseppe and delivered him to Damon for execution. She had grown tired of watching her estranged husband fail.

Tomorrow would certainly be cause for celebration for the young woman. However, she was jubilant today for very different reasons. Big John's jet had landed a few hours ago. He had stopped over in Miami to pick up Lucy's grandmother, mother, and younger sister. Bonnie was eager to spend some quality time with her family. They would all gather for a hastily planned dinner party at an upscale steakhouse. The restaurant had served as a front for the Bennett family for many years. The owner gladly agreed to close his restaurant to the public for the night to accommodate them. Bonnie ensured that he was generously compensated for the sacrifice.

Earlier that morning, Bonnie had spent over an hour finding the right ensemble for tomorrow. She had settled on a breathtaking black Chanel dress made of lace. However, the red patent leather Christian Louboutin heels would be the stars of the outfit. She planned to look stunning while pretending to grieve for Giuseppe. Abby had even convinced Gabby to do their make up for the 'somber' occasion. Bonnie was not the only one eager to celebrate the old man's death. Giuseppe had killed Abby's father with his bare hands in a jealous rage. She also blamed him for Sheila's death. Cancer might have killed her mother, but Abby believed the root cause was the years of abuse.

Picking up Sarah from the Salvatore Manor in an hour was perhaps the only thing that could spoil her mood. She had learned from Stefan that Damon's reaction to her last visit to the Manor was whacking Giuseppe. Bonnie was worried where he would direct his rage this time. Unfortunately, Damon had called last night to ask if Sarah had any plans for today. He wanted to take Victor, Sarah, and Nadia out for lunch. Afterwards he would take them shopping for something to wear for Giuseppe's memorial. He had some free time on his hands because he had taken a leave of absence in light of his father's 'sudden death'. Bonnie didn't want to deal with Damon but she was never going to deny him the opportunity to spend time with Sarah. Stefan had picked up his niece from Abby's house that morning. However, he wouldn't be available to play interference this evening. She hoped having Matt drive her over there would help keep everything civil. However, she was also expecting backlash because of the 'gift' she had delivered to the Manor-surveillance photos of Katherine. It was a not so subtle reminder of the consequences for harming Tyler.

Bonnie was not thrilled about having to see Damon later, but she had enjoyed her suddenly free afternoon. She and Tyler slipped away to the beach house for some alone time. She had been insatiable since Christmas night but there was not much in the way of privacy at Abby's house. It was hard pretending to be merely friends in front of everyone. There would come a time when Sarah would find out that Bonnie was dating Tyler. However, she was not in a rush to have that conversation with her little girl. Her daughter was still adjusting to her parents living in separate homes. Moreover, Bonnie wanted to know that this relationship had staying power. She would not upend her daughter's life again unless things became serious.

She sat between Tyler's legs with a towel wrapped around her body. They were both fresh out the shower. She rested her head against his shoulder as they read a sex checklist on his tablet. Bonnie was not a virgin by any means—her rapidly growing baby bump was proof of that. However, she did not have much experience. Her sex life with Damon was almost exclusively missionary style. She wanted to expand her horizons and Tyler was definitely on board with the idea. She could identify almost everything on the extensive checklist. Tyler eagerly pulled up his favorite porn site for the things she didn't know. They were both on the same page for the things that were absolutely out of the question. Everything else was at least up for discussion.

Tyler suggested the checklist after a slightly awkward post-coital situation. He learned that it had been Bonnie's first time being on top. Afterwards, she had expressed some nervousness about the quality of her performance. Tyler realized that being best friends of the opposite sex meant that they had never shared information about their sexual conquests. They were both old fashion in certain ways. He figured the checklist would be a good way to clear the air. It wasn't as awkward as he had expected. The old friends had taken to teasing each other mercilessly about alleged kinks. While Tyler might have had a very mild foot fetish, Bonnie definitely loved when he talked dirty to her. In fact, they had settled for phone sex the previous night and neither of them hung up disappointed.

Bonnie giggled as they watched a clip. She shook her head.

Tyler chuckled deeply and said, "I am going to go ahead and assume that is a hard no."

She nodded and said, "Very hard! Rock of Gibraltar hard!

He kissed her neck. "Duly noted."

Bonnie interlaced their fingers as she gathered her thoughts. She confessed, "I think the checklist was a really good idea, Ty. You already know that you are only the third person that I have ever been with intimately. I've never really had a say in what happened."

Tyler's eyes darkened as he tried to make sense of what Bonnie was saying to him. He knew what Klaus had done to her. He still planned to whack the bastard the moment he lost his usefulness. However, he didn't know much about the intimate details of Bonnie's marriage. He had never really cared to know and she hadn't been eager to share.

His jaw clenched when he said, "You told me that you only went to the counseling session with Damon because you wanted him to know that he didn't rape you. Was that a lie?"

His sudden anger left Bonnie stunned and somewhat confused. She turned around so that they were facing one another. Bonnie moved onto her knees and gently cupped his jaw. She said, "No. Damon would never hurt me that way. I know that you don't think much of him but he is not like that."

Tyler wasn't anywhere near satisfied with Bonnie's answer. However, he tried to calm down before he did anything irrational like confronting Damon. He said, "You need to explain this to me, Bon. What do you mean when you say that you never had a say in what happened?"

"He never forced me to do anything. Damon isn't like Niklaus. But he also never asked what I wanted or liked. Damon always determined when and how we had sex. He was always in control. I am sorry for making you worry. I just wanted to thank you for being…I don't know...modern."

He slowly calmed down once he understood what Bonnie had been trying to tell him. Tyler was exasperated but he was not surprised by Damon's preference for control. Too often men suffered from the Madonna-whore complex. That limited point of view was even more prevalent in the mafia. The powerful men in that line of work expected their wives to behave as if they were the Blessed Mother herself. They sought out mistresses for their less than vanilla interests. Yet the men often exerted an unreasonable amount of control in those relationships, too. However, Tyler had never been inclined to live his life in that way.

"I don't want it to ever be that way for us, Bon," he bemoaned. "You can always tell me what you do want or don't want. I am not going to look at you any differently. I am not going anywhere. You are stuck with me."

She huffed out a strangled laugh and shook her head. "I shouldn't have said anything. You must think that I am a complete head case."

Tyler pulled Bonnie into his arms and kissed her softly. He replied, "Don't say that. I am glad that you were honest with me. A healthy relationship is about give and take, Bonnie. I want you to enjoy being with me. It shouldn't just be about what I like."

"I don't even know what I like but the checklist is a really good start. Trial and error, right?" she asked.

He laughed and said, "Right." Tyler glanced at the clock and groaned. He said, "Shit. We need to start getting ready. Matt is going to be here soon to pick you up."

Bonnie groaned and said, "I don't really feel like moving. I kinda want to take another nap."

"You're the one that wanted to have sex in the shower," he said as a way to absolve himself from guilt.

"I don't exactly remember you objecting!" she huffed.

Tyler lifted an eyebrow and said, "You can't have expected me to reject an opportunity to have shower sex with you. Let's just put this on the table, any time you ask I am going to say yes."

She bit back a grin and asked, "Even when I get super fat? I mean I am pregnant with twins so it is bound to happen at some point."

His brown eyes scanned the checklist and said, "I am pretty sure I checked the box for pregnancy kink."

Bonnie laughed and elbowed him in the stomach.

He grunted and said, "Hey! What was that for?"

She giggled and climbed out of the bed. She dropped the towel and said, "You are a pervert, Ty."

He flopped back on the bed and said, "I thought that was what you liked about me, Bon!"

Bonnie padded over to the full-length mirror and studied her changing shape. She smoothed a hand over her growing baby bump and smiled. "Among other things…"

Tyler walked across the room and slid his arms around her body. He moved her hair to one side so that he could kiss her neck. Tyler resisted the urge to leave another hickey on the exposed skin. They were about to have dinner with their combined families. There would be enough pressure on their blossoming relationship without silently informing everyone that they were fucking like bunnies.

At least they wouldn't have to worry about anyone criticizing their decision. Richard had been the only vocal objector until he learned of Big John's plan. Now that Tyler's life was no longer at risk, his old man was on board. The Benedetto family was not alone in desiring another Benedetto/Loiacono union. It would make it that much easier to force the Salvatore family out of Milazzo. However, it would also put both of Richard's children in positions of power. Lexi was already married to Cesare, the future of the Italian branch of the family. Tyler marrying Bonnie would be icing on an already decadent cake.

"You look beautiful, Bon. I can't wait to see how that dress looks on you."

"Really? You don't think it is too much."

"The dress is gorgeous on a hanger. Having you in it will only be an improvement. You are a total smoke show and you know it. You are beautiful, Bon. I have always thought that you were beautiful," he whispered against her skin.

"Even when I had braces?" she asked with a petulant lilt to her voice.

He huffed out a laugh and nodded. "Especially, when you had braces."

She gave him a skeptical look in the mirror.

"What? You got your braces the same year that your tits came in. You discovered v-neck shirts and push-up bras at the same time," he said with a goofy grin.

Bonnie laughed softly. She said, "I feel like I should apologize to you about the weird pregnancy hormones that have been making an appearance randomly."

"It is no big deal. I've always known you were fucking crazy. You Benedettos have a reputation," he said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "You Loiaconos have a reputation, too. Fuck you."

Tyler slapped her butt and grinned. "Maybe later if you play your cards right."

"I was thinking the same thing about you. Don't get too drunk tonight or I'll just have to take care of myself," Bonnie said. She wiggled her fingers in front of his face suggestively and then sauntered into her closet.

"That's cool…as long as I get to watch! That was on my checklist, too," he called out. Tyler scrubbed a hand over his growing beard. He wondered if he should shave to look more presentable at dinner tonight.

He walked over to a nearby chair and unzipped the garment bag. He was wearing a black three-piece suit to dinner. Everyone would be dressed well tonight to celebrate Big John's visit. Abby had gone to great lengths to make the night an impressive one. Moreover, they would surely begin celebrating Giuseppe's death tonight. In the privacy of the restaurant, no one would have to feign sadness for a man they all despised.

When Tyler finished getting dressed, he sat in the chair to put on his socks and shoes. His mind strayed to tomorrow's festivities. While Bonnie was worried about dealing with Damon, Tyler had a former significant other, too. He had been able to avoid Elena since he ended their relationship. However, she would certainly attend Giuseppe's funeral. Usually, she liked to keep her distance from the business but there would be no excuses for missing the don's funeral. He expected their first public encounter to be awkward. Her initial protests against the break up had been tepid but something had changed in the last week. Elena had been insistent that they meet up to talk about their relationship.

Tyler knew that breaking up with Elena was the right thing to do. He would always care for her but their relationship had an expiration date from the very start. Elena didn't want to be a mob wife and Tyler would never consider leaving the business. This business was in his blood and he would never abandon Bonnie. There really wasn't room for a compromise. Tyler was suspicious of Elena's sudden desire to rekindle a romance that had flamed out months ago. He wondered if her parents were pressuring her. John's death had affected the Gilbert family's position within the Salvatore organization. Grayson had always been the family's doctor. He patched up anyone that was injured but couldn't be taken to the hospital for legal reasons. The doctor had even helped falsify Giuseppe's death certificate. The deceased mob boss' official cause of death was congestive heart failure. Yet the doctor didn't carry much clout in the organization because he never got his hands dirty. His only hope for upward mobility in the organization was for his children to marry well.

Tyler had been able to avoid meeting with Elena because he had been busy lately. He might even be able to delay her during the funeral because talking about their relationship would be inappropriate. However, he would be fresh out of excuses afterwards at the repast. Those things could drag on for hours for men of lesser ranks. Giuseppe was a son of a bitch and everyone knew it but he had helmed that organization for thirty years. He would receive a fete befitting his position. Anything less would draw unwanted attention to his relationship with Damon. Having his body cremated was already raising eyebrows. It had been a strategic move to ensure that law enforcement couldn't exhume the body later to find the true cause of death. Moreover, it was a subtle way of disrespecting Giuseppe by denying him the huge funeral procession and burial.

Bonnie stepped out of her closet wearing a full-length Grecian style halter dress. The deep plum color looked stunning against her caramel skin tone. The dress left her back completely exposed. To accessorize she wore several gold bangles on her arms, diamond hoop earrings, and the Saint Christopher's medal.

Tyler looked up when he heard Bonnie's heels click against the hardwood floor. He swallowed thickly while drinking in her appearance. He slowly got to his feet and walked over to her. "You look beautiful, Bon."

She smiled and smoothed her hand over the tailored jacket that accentuated his muscled physique. "Thanks. You look handsome, too."

He raked his eyes over Bonnie for a second time. He groaned and said, "I really don't want to go to dinner now."

She laughed softly and wrapped her arms around his neck. Bonnie pecked his lips. "I wish that we could stay in but tonight will be fun. Besides, I have a big announcement to make."

"That you're madly in love with me?" he asked facetiously.

"I could be wearing any number of incredibly expensive necklaces. But I chose to wear the one you gave to me. The people who should know, will know that I am yours," she replied.

Tyler groaned and rested his hands on her butt. He complained, "You can't say shit like that to me before we have to leave."

The girl's green eyes were full of mischief. "Sorry…"

"You aren't," he muttered.

She shook her head. "I'm really not. Do you want to hear my announcement or not?"

"What's your announcement?"

"I think it is time that you have your own crew," she replied.

Tyler stared at Bonnie for a moment because it was the last thing that he would have expected. He asked, "Are you being serious?"

She nodded and said, "Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Is this because you think that I deserve it or because we're together?"

Bonnie took a step back when she heard the accusation in his voice. She said, "I think that you deserve the promotion, Ty. I love you but I'm not going to give you territory because we're fucking. Look, I'll delay the announcement to give you time to think it over."

He sighed and said, "I'm sorry that didn't come out right, Bon. I am not trying to be an asshole here. We're just going to be under a lot of scrutiny once our relationship is public knowledge."

"You mean that you are going to be under scrutiny because no one will have the balls to say anything to my face," she replied.

He huffed out a laugh. "Not after you slit that poor fuck's throat in front of everyone."

Bonnie said, "I already talked it over with Uncle Richie and he agreed with me. You have earned the position with the work you have done for my family. But I won't force you if you're worried about appearances."

"You talked to my old man?"

"Of course I ran it by him first, Ty. He is my consigliere. I figured making you a capo was the next logical step since you are going to be working Niklaus for information. I wanted you to be on equal footing with him. I planned to give you the territory that butts up against his."

Tyler groaned and said, "Now I feel like an even bigger asshole. Forgive me?"

Bonnie "It's fine but I think delaying the announcement for a few days would still be wise."

"Bon…"

"I'm not mad, Ty. Your exposure in this situation is different from mine. You are going to get a certain amount of shit because you are dating the boss. It is inevitable. I didn't think about optics before making this decision. I am not going to force you into anything. I am never going to put anything above our friendship—not business and not this relationship."

Tyler wanted to reply but someone was ringing the doorbell. He said, "That's Matt. I should go let him in but I want to continue this conversation tonight."

She nodded. "Of course. I will be down in a minute. I just need to grab my purse. "

He kissed Bonnie softly and then headed downstairs to the front door. Tyler peered out the peephole to ensure it was Matt. He was glad that he did that because none other than Damon Salvatore was standing at the door.

Tyler turned around and ran back toward the stairs but Bonnie was already headed in his direction.

She lifted an eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Damon is here..."

Bonnie tensed but she gave a resolute nod. "Stay out of sight."

He said, "You've got to be kidding me. There is no way I am leaving you alone with him!"

She kissed him softly. "I can take care of myself, Ty. You still work for him right now. Technically, your life is his to take. I would make him pay dearly for taking you from me but that wouldn't do you much good. I just need you to trust me."

The doorbell rang again.

Tyler unbuttoned his jacket and removed his gun from the holster. "I am not leaving you with him unarmed."

Bonnie took the gun and said, "Fine…now go."

Tyler kissed her forehead and then jogged up the stairs.

She took a deep breath and continued down the stairs. Bonnie dropped her purse on the table on her way to the door. She hid the gun behind her back just in case Damon brought Sarah with him. However, the young woman doubted that he would ambush her with their daughter. He wasn't interested in causing Sarah more distress.

Bonnie opened the door and scowled when she saw that Damon was alone. She greeted him with a chilly demeanor, "What are you doing here?"

Damon grinned at his wife. For the first time in weeks, Damon was the one catching Bonnie off guard. He knew it was immature but it was a damn good feeling. He asked, "Aren't you going to invite me inside, Bunny? I haven't been here since you had the place redecorated."

In truth, the mobster couldn't remember the last time he had visited the beach house. Before their separation, he never even considered why Bonnie had insisted on maintaining the piece of property. It wasn't as if the house held some great emotional significance as the estate in Shadow Hills did. Now he realized Bonnie kept the house as a secure meeting place. Her desire to visit the beach house never aroused his suspicions. He wondered if his wife had devised this plan on her own or if she had advisors.

She stepped back and allowed Damon into the house. Bonnie locked the door and immediately pulled the gun from behind her back.

His grin faltered when he saw the sig sauer trained on his torso. He noted Bonnie's firm grip on the gun and the way her finger rested above the trigger. Damon figured someone that held a gun like that wouldn't miss an easy center mass shot. He held his hands up slowly. "I'm only here to talk, Bunny. There's no need for a gun."

"You showed up to my house unannounced. You ambushed me outside of my place of worship. You grabbed my arm. You are known for having a violent temper. I am beginning to think that maybe I should get a TRO against you, Damon," she snapped.

"I am not here to argue with you. I meant it when I said that I would back off. I am here to discuss business. We are still business partners…" he replied smoothly.

Bonnie put the safety on the gun and slowly lowered it to her side. She said, "This will have to be a quick conversation because I have somewhere to be."

"I can see that," he replied. "You look gorgeous, Bunny."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and walked over to the couch. She sat down and asked, "What business are you here to talk about with me? The last time I brought up the business you laughed in my face. Am I supposed to believe that you are suddenly taking me seriously?"

He sat in a nearby chair. He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. He asked, "Can you blame me? It isn't as if you had ever expressed any interest in the business to me. It seems obvious now that it was a calculated move on your part. I married a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"And I married an emotionally distant whore. We both made mistakes. What business are you here to discuss? I won't ask again, Damon," she said testily.

He said, "I was supposed to be spending a fun afternoon with my daughters and baby brother. Only Alaric interrupted our outing because he had an unexpected call from your cousin, Gianni. Did you know that Gianni was coming with Big John?"

Bonnie nodded and added, "Maurizio is with him, too."

Damon could not suppress the frown on his face. John bringing both of his sons was not a good sign. He said, "They want to have a meeting with me the day after tomorrow. Alaric couldn't get a feel for what it was about. I figured that you might know."

The young woman slipped the gun into her purse and retrieved a phone. She flipped through a photo album for Damon. "My uncle wants to talk to you about this. Did you really think killing your degenerate father would be the only retribution my family would require? He's really not pleased that it took you more than a month to finish the job. Frankly, nor am I. When I gave you that tape I figured Giuseppe would be dead in a matter of days—not weeks."

The frustration he felt with Bonnie faded away when he saw the pictures of her bruised and battered body. He had seen her after she had two weeks to begin healing. Her initial injuries had been so much worse than he had allowed himself to imagine. Damon took the phone and scrolled through the photos. Bonnie had been meticulous in documenting her injuries. Damon genuinely felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to say that he didn't understand how Giuseppe could inflict that sort of pain on Bonnie. However, his father had hurt everyone he claimed to love. Despite being rocked to his core by the pictures, Damon latched onto Bonnie's admission. His sweet wife had never wanted Giuseppe to retire. She had wanted him dead from the start. Damon couldn't believe that his father knew the girl better than he did.

In a quiet voice, he asked, "What does Big John want? Does he want money or territory?"

Bonnie almost felt bad for showing Damon what Giuseppe really did to her—almost. She said, "No, we have enough of both. I want some of the people from your organization to come work for me…on both sides of the Atlantic. I have been planning an expansion of sorts for quite some time and I need the manpower."

Damon tensed in response to the sinking feeling in his stomach. He thought back to his father's ominous words in the cellar. Giuseppe had seemed certain that Sheila had moles in their organization. The old man had been insane but he obviously knew Sheila much better than Damon knew Bonnie. His jaw clenched and he asked, "Who?"

She smoothly replied, "The Loiacono family…everyone last one of them."

Damon laughed bitterly. "Your grandmother planted people in my organization. Giuseppe warned me that there might be moles. I suspected Richard after Midnight Mass but Zach told me that I was being crazy."

Bonnie smiled impishly and replied, "Giuseppe was wrong. My great-grandmother decided to cultivate assets within your organization. She hated your bigoted grandfather and took great pleasure in fucking over the organization every chance she got. Frankly, it wouldn't have been successful if your grandfather wasn't such a miserable fuck. I mean he had Alonzo Lockwood sent to prison over petty jealousy. Then he stupidly welcomed the man back into the family after he served more than a decade in prison. He practically served Alonzo's loyalty up on a silver platter to my great-grandmother. All those years of the Loiacono family being loyal all washed away because your grandmother didn't love Domenico. He was such a miserable bastard that his wife took her own life to escape him."

The blue-eyed mobster stayed silent for a beat because he didn't know what to say to that. If Bonnie was telling the truth, there had been moles in his family's organization for at least forty years—in high-ranking positions. These men had influence on policy and business decisions. Pieces of the puzzle that never made sense were starting to slide into place—including his grandmother's suicide. Damon hadn't even known that his grandmother had committed suicide until last week. His wife knew the history of his family better than even he did. He asked, "What happens if I reject Big John's proposal? I am not inclined to reward traitors."

Bonnie reached out and took Damon's hand. "Don't let your pride be your undoing. Learn from your grandfather's mistakes. Why would you want to keep men that are no longer loyal to you? Killing them is out of the question because the Loiaconos will revolt against you. However, perhaps the most important reason is that you will not like what happens if you deny this request. You can repay this debt in men or you can repay in blood, Damon. But it will be repaid."

"You would really start a mob war because you want to date Tyler Lockwood? This is supposed to be business but you are making it personal," disdain dripped from his voice.

"You can't be that incredibly short-sighted. I love Tyler but this has very little to do with him. The Loiacono family has been loyal to us. They deserve freedom from a family that they have long despised. Alonzo only continued working for your family because my great-grandmother asked him to do so. No, if a war begins it will be because my family has finally reached their limit with yours. Domenico was a fucking racist. Giuseppe was an abusive son of a bitch. He beat my grandmother for years and killed my grandfather. Then to add insult to injury Giuseppe beat and tried to rape me while you were off fucking your whore. We have had quite enough of you and your rancid fucking family."

Damon felt as if Bonnie had ripped his heart from his chest. He asked, "Did you ever love me? Was our marriage some Machiavellian operation to you?"

She rolled her eyes. "You don't get to play the injured party here, Damon. I loved you more than my heart could bear. I twisted myself into unrecognizable shapes to make you return my love. You shoved me aside for a menagerie of whores. I gave you one last chance to change or to be remotely worthy of my love and devotion. The first chance you got, you ran right back to Katherine. It didn't matter that I was still healing from the beating your father gave me. Nor did you care that I was in the midst of a very complicated pregnancy. I am not my grandmother. I do not intend to waste my life on someone incapable of loving me. I understand you feel betrayed but you should get over it. I love you. No matter how angry you make me I would never truly hurt you, Damon. Not unless I felt my life was in danger. My uncle has no such love for your family and there is only so much I can to do stay his hand. I only control one half of this family."

"Fine…"

She asked, "What does that mean?"

Damon cupped her cheek and said, "I would give you anything, Bunny. I would give you the very blood from my veins if that was what you truly wanted. I do love you. I just have no clue how to show you. I…you know how I was raised. The only love I have ever known came with a fist or cigar burns. I don't know how to be whatever it is you wanted me to be. I was scared that I would hurt you or turn you into me. I stayed away to protect you from me. I never wanted this. The idea of living the rest of my life without you…I don't fucking know how to do that, Bonnie. It doesn't make sense to me no matter how I arrange it in my head. Do you know how hard it is falling asleep in our bed now that you aren't there? When I wake up in the morning, I keep expecting you to be there but you aren't. And it fucking kills me because I need you."

Damon's raw honesty hit Bonnie in the heart like a heat-seeking missile. She had this damnable urge to comfort him. Bonnie had been truthful in saying that she loved him still. While she had taken great joy in wounding his pride, she never thought she had a chance of wounding his heart. She never truly believed that he loved her.

She shook her head. "You act as if I had some idyllic childhood. The only person that loved me is the same woman that married me off to a man that she knew would cheat on me from day one. Then she put it in my head that if I were a good wife that one day you would love me. I was young and naïve enough to believe her. When we got married, I didn't know how to be a wife or a mother. I had no positive examples of a healthy relationship. I just tried to treat you the way I wanted to be treated with love and respect. I understand that Giuseppe and Lilly broke you. My family broke me, too. Somehow, I have managed to be a good wife and mother. It was important enough for me to try. I know this situation is hard for you but it will get better. You have Katherine now."

He said, "You keep saying that as if she means anything to me! How do you not understand that Katherine could never take your place in my life? She was convenient. Do you want her dead? Because I would do that for you. One call to Enzo is all it would take."

She saw the tears in Damon's eyes and it broke her heart. She reached out to take his hand. Bonnie felt tears sting her eyes. "I don't want your daughter to be motherless. Killing Katherine will not change what is broken between us. Believe me, I thought about it many times. Maybe Katherine isn't your one true love but someone else will be. But I need you to let me go because we are bad for each other, Damon. You have hurt me so much and now I am hurting you. I don't want to be this way. I just want to be happy. I want you to be happy, too."

Damon shook his head. "I'm never going to be happy without you, Bunny. Before you and Sarah came into my life, my happiness was sex and drugs."

Bonnie got to her feet shakily. She said, "I don't believe that and neither should you. You said that you came here to talk business. This feels distinctly personal. It is time for you to go, Damon. But maybe you should make an appointment with Dr. Correa."

He didn't like the way that Bonnie looked. Her eyes seemed dull even though they were filled with tears. He stood up and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Damon watched in horror as Bonnie crumpled into a heap on the floor. It took a moment for his brain to get into gear. He grabbed a pillow and put it under her head. "Bunny?"

Tyler took the stairs two at a time to reach the living room in record time. It felt as if his heart stopped when he saw Bonnie on the floor. He rushed to Bonnie's side. "What the fuck did you do to her?"

Damon couldn't believe that Tyler had been there the entire time. He would be beating the son of a bitch into a bloody pulp if Bonnie were not unconscious. He snapped, "I didn't do anything. She stood up and then fainted."

Tyler took out his phone and placed a call.

Damon brushed Bonnie's hair away from her face. He asked, "Who are you calling? We need to get her to a hospital."

"I am calling her doctor," he muttered. "This isn't the first time she's fainted."

"Dr. Huerta?"

Tyler said, "No, I am calling Bonnie's personal physician. He should be in the area. He was having dinner with us tonight."

Damon murmured, "Wake up for me, Bunny. Let me see those beautiful eyes."

Tyler stood up and asked, "Where are you, Cole?"

" _You could have started with 'hello', cugino," he joked._

"This is serious. Bonnie fainted. Where are you?" he snapped.

" _I'm maybe fifteen minutes away. Did she hit her head? Is she still breathing?"_

Tyler looked at Damon. "Did Bonnie hit her head when she fell?"

The older man looked up at him and said, "No, I don't think so."

"No, she didn't hit her head. And she's still breathing. But she was stressed out at the time," he replied. The last statement was filled with venom as he glared at Damon.

Bonnie groaned softly as she slowly began to stir.

Tyler said, "She's waking up now."

" _I'll be there soon."_

Bonnie moaned in pain and rested a hand on her belly. She whimpered, "Ty…"

He got onto his knees beside her. "I'm right here, Bon."

Damon had never felt so relieved in his life. He squeezed Bonnie's hand. "You're going to be okay."

She looked in Damon's direction. Bonnie's mind was still hazy but she was immediately worried for Tyler's safety. She tried to sit up. "Don't hurt him, Damon."

He stared at his wife in open surprise. He couldn't believe that Bonnie thought that he would be focused on anything but the wellbeing of her and the babies right now. "I'm not going to kill him today. We should get you off the floor."

Damon stood and then scooped her up. He carried Bonnie over to the couch and placed her there. He snapped at Tyler, "Go get a cold compress for her head."

Tyler didn't want to leave Bonnie alone with Damon. He was the one that had upset her, but the cold compress was actually a good idea. He looked at her and murmured, "I'll be right back."

Damon rolled his eyes at the smitten look on the kid's face. He didn't know how he never noticed it before. However, what tore him up inside was that Bonnie looked just as smitten with Tyler. Damon was reminded when she used to gaze at him that way. He didn't understand what it meant at the time. He could have never fathomed that she felt that way for him. The missed opportunity made his heart ache. He sat beside Bonnie on the couch. "How are you feeling? Are the babies okay?"

"Nauseous," she confessed. "But I think the babies are okay. I can still feel them moving. I don't think I have ever felt them be this active in the past."

He swallowed thickly and asked, "You can feel them move? When did that start?"

Bonnie met Damon's gaze. She said, "I felt them move for the first time the Saturday before last…"

Damon stared at Bonnie's belly in awe. He hated that he was so removed from his wife's life that she didn't even tell him about such an important development. Everything about this situation was so wrong. However, he was more convinced than ever that he still had a chance. Bonnie's heart wasn't as hardened against him as she had convinced herself. Fortunately, his beautiful bride wasn't the only one capable of pulling strings from behind the scenes. Damon could torpedo Tyler and Bonnie's relationship without harming a single hair on the boy's head.

Tyler walked into the room with a cold compress, a glass of juice, and a packet of peanut butter crackers. "Can you sit up for me, Bon?"

She nodded and slowly sat up.

"You should try to get something in your stomach. You haven't eaten since lunch and that was hours ago," he said.

Bonnie took the glass of juice and sipped it. "Thank you."

Damon and Tyler just glared at each other in silence.

She eyed both men as she munched on a peanut butter cracker. Finally, Bonnie said, "Ty…"

His brown eyes moved to her face. "Yeah, Bon?"

"Can you call my mom? I want her here," she said.

Tyler nodded and said, "Yeah. I should have thought of that."

"Ask her to keep it to herself. I don't want everyone to end up over here," she added.

He squeezed her shoulder because he realized Bonnie was trying to get him out of the room. He said, "I'll go in the kitchen to make the call."

"Thanks…"

Damon noted that the younger man picked up the discarded gun on his way to the kitchen. He rolled his eyes and sat down near Bonnie. He wasn't going anywhere until he knew she was okay.


	54. Out of the Loop

Damon paced the floor of the beach house's living room like a caged animal. It had been nearly an hour since Bonnie fainted and subsequently regained consciousness. Cole Lockwood, her personal physician, must have broken several speed limits to arrive just ten minutes later. The doctor and his nurse decided to move Bonnie upstairs to her bedroom for privacy. Every fiber of Damon's being had been tempted to force his way into that room. However, he did not want to cause more unwarranted stress for his wife. He had a hard time understanding just how quickly this all unraveled. One moment Bonnie had been fine and the next moment she had crashed onto the floor. He had never been more terrified in his life than when Bonnie lay unconscious at his feet. This was the first time that Damon realized just how delicate this pregnancy was for Bonnie.

The couple's estrangement meant that he only received secondhand information about Bonnie's pregnancy. Dr. Huerta was a stickler for adhering to HIPAA privacy rules. He would not answer any questions about Bonnie's health or pregnancy without her permission. Moreover, she had even blocked the doctor from sharing her medical information with Meredith and Jo. Damon only knew that she was underweight and had developed gestational hypertension. He had believed that her condition had been steadily improving. At least that was the impression Bonnie gave whenever he asked after her health. Damon didn't know if she had been lying to him or if this was some sort of relapse. He only knew that he was terrified that something was going to happen to Bonnie and their children.

While the blue-eyed mob boss was worried for his wife, there was no mistaking that he was in enemy territory. Abby had arrived maybe twenty minutes ago but she was not alone. Geneva and Jamie had been in the car with her when Tyler called. Abby had rushed upstairs to the master bedroom to be with Bonnie but not before she cursed Damon out for all he was worth. The woman had been so enraged that she had seamlessly transitioned between English and Italian. Abby reminded him of her mother as she threatened his life seriously and without any hesitation. He truly believed that she would carve him up like a Christmas turkey if Bonnie suffered a miscarriage. Damon could not help thinking that she would never get a chance. Damon would eat his own gun if Bonnie miscarried because of him.

He quickly realized that Abby wasn't the only person in the room that wanted his head on a platter. Geneva did not say a word to him but if looks could kill Damon would be lying in a puddle of his own blood. Even young Jamie seemed to have disdain in his eyes. Nothing could make him feel like something on the bottom of a shoe more than a pre-teen silently confirming that he was not welcome. Damon had wisely placed a call to Zacharias. He was not going to leave until he knew Bonnie was okay. He also realized that he needed someone capable of softening his rough edges. The Benedetto family had issues with him and Ric, but Zach was known as the peacemaker. He had yet to meet someone that hated his uncle for any personal deeds. The enemies he made were always business related. Damon could use Zach's peacemaking skills now.

Perhaps the only good thing was that Tyler had wisely chosen to stand outside and smoke a cigarette. Damon did not know how much control he would have if he had to look at the kid while waiting for news on Bonnie. He knew that the relationship between Bonnie and Tyler was not the reason for the separation. His own actions had driven his wife away from him. Yet Damon doubted that she would have pushed him out of her life so firmly if she were not making room for her lover. It seemed apparent that Bonnie did not plan to sneak around as if she was doing something wrong with Tyler. Somehow, Damon's 21-year-old wife had more balls than he did. She knew what she wanted and went after it—consequences be damned. It hurt to realize that she used to want him. He was just too out to sea to recognize it.

Damon looked up when he heard the front door open. He groaned as Zach **and** Alaric walked into the house. The last thing he needed was his uncle making the situation worse. If the Benedetto family disliked Damon, they fucking hated Alaric. He snapped, "Why the fuck did you bring him here?"

Zach understood his nephew's anger. Ideally, he would have come alone. He said, "He was sitting right next to me when you called. It wasn't like I could stop him from coming over here, Damon."

Ric said, "You forget that I'm the older brother."

Zach muttered, "I wish you would act like it."

Ric's gaze moved to his son. He hadn't expected to see the boy but he was happy all the same. He smiled hesitantly. "Hi, Jamie."

Jamie stiffened in the seat beside his great-aunt. He was dressed smartly in a navy blue suit with a black long sleeve shirt. He said, "Hi."

"Did you have a good Christmas?" he asked lamely.

Damon actually felt bad for his uncle. The man was desperate to reconnect with his older children. The twins and Jamie were still icing him out. Cooper and Savannah were too young to question his decisions as a man and a father. Damon viewed his uncle as a cautionary tale. He never wanted his own children to look at him the way Jamie was looking at Ric now.

Jamie nodded. "It was fun. I got a bunch of gifts."

Ric stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "Yeah. I saw that in the picture you sent me. Thanks for that by the way. I was thinking that maybe we could take your dirt bike out for a test drive soon. It could be just the two of us."

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I'll have to ask Mama. We're going on a trip soon."

Ric tensed when he heard they were going on a trip. He asked, "Really?"

Jamie nodded.

"Where are you going?" he asked. Ric was doing his best to seem nonchalant but he was scared. It had taken years to convince Abby that moving to California was the right idea.

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know."

The older woman shot a withering glare at Ric. She didn't think it was right for him to pump his son for information. Abby would tell him what he needed to know in due time. She tightened her arm around the boy's shoulder. She said, "Be a dear and get me something to drink from the kitchen."

He stood up and asked, "What do you want to drink, Zia?"

"Ice water would be nice," she replied sweetly.

"Okay," he replied.

Geneva watched until he disappeared into the kitchen. The regal older woman's honey brown eyes hardened as soon as she looked at Alaric. Her coal black hair was graying at the temples but she still looked fierce. "Don't interrogate that boy for information, Alaric. If you want to know what Abby is doing then you should man up and ask her."

Ric offered a saccharine smile to the older woman. "It is good seeing you again, Geneva."

Damon glared at Zach and said, "This is what the fuck I am talking about. I don't need his shit right now."

Geneva said, "Then perhaps you shouldn't have invited either of them to Bonnie's house without her permission."

Zach put a hand on his nephew's arm. He could tell he was going to say something completely inappropriate. Damon didn't know Geneva well because she had spent the last twenty years in Miami. However, Zach knew it would be a losing battle to start an argument with her. "You are right that it was presumptuous on Damon's part but he was just upset. He is worried about Bonnie and the babies. He was just looking for a little moral support."

Geneva lifted an eyebrow at his explanation. She relented, "I am sure that they are fine. Abby would have pulled rank and made Cole take Bonnie to the hospital if there were any doubts."

Damon wished that made him feel any better but it didn't. He hated feeling helpless. Unfortunately, he hadn't felt anything but helpless lately. What good was it to be the boss of the family if the rest of his life was spiraling out of control?

Jamie returned with a glass of ice water and a bottle of PowerAde for himself.

"Thank you, piccolo," she replied and took a sip of water.

He took out his phone and started playing a game.

An uneasy silence settled over the room. Only the occasional sound from Jamie's phone disturbed the quiet. However, the phone's volume was just low enough where it couldn't serve as an actual distraction.

Damon glanced towards the stairs wondering what was taking so long. He assumed that Geneva was right. Bonnie would be on her way to the hospital if something was wrong. He just needed to hear the doctor tell him as much before he could settle down. Damon scrubbed a hand over his face and looked at his uncle. The poor bastard was sitting across from the couch watching Jamie avoid talking to him. The kid was obviously angry but respectful enough not to tell Ric to fuck off. Damon remembered being that angry when he was a kid. It didn't end anywhere great. He wondered if Jamie had discovered the awesome numbing qualities of alcohol yet. They were doing a stellar job of not fucking up the next generation of Salvatore children.

Tyler walked into the house with a pinched expression. He wasn't looking forward to being in the same room with Damon. He wanted to murder the son of a bitch—literally. However, Cole had sent him a text to say he would be down to talk to everyone about Bonnie's condition soon. There was no chance he was missing that.

Damon tensed when he saw Tyler. He had been hoping that he would stay outside for the duration. Nothing good could come from them being in the same room. He wanted to keep the promise he made to Bonnie after she fainted.

Tyler walked over to the couch and sat on the arm near Jamie. He nudged the kid's shoulder and said, "Guess what…"

The boy looked up at Tyler with a smile. "What?"

"There might be a PS4 hooked up in the game room with NBA2K," he said with a grin.

Jamie's eyes went wide. "Really? But Sissy sucks at playing 2K."

Tyler chuckled and said, "She sucks at all video games and always has. It is like she lacks hand/eye coordination or something. But she bought a couple different consoles and a ton of games with you in mind. She thought you might want to come hang out here if you had some games to play. Wanna check it out?"

Jamie nodded. "Yeah!"

Tyler clapped him on the back. "It's down the hall and to the left. Have fun. I'll come get you when your mom is ready to leave."

Geneva watched as her great-nephew took off like a bolt of lightning. She reached over and squeezed Tyler's hand. "Thank you for that. He is worried about Bonnie."

Tyler felt guilty. He wondered if he had contributed to Bonnie fainting in some way. They had disagreed right before Damon arrived and stirred up trouble. There was also the little matter of spending the afternoon in bed together. Before Christmas, Cole had assured Tyler that it was safe to have sex with Bonnie but maybe he had exhausted her. He murmured, "We all are…"

She nodded sagely and said, "I am tempted to call Lucy. We should let everyone know that tonight's party isn't going to happen."

"I know that Bon isn't going to be able to make it but she wouldn't want to ruin the night for everyone else," he replied.

"No one is going to be in the mood to celebrate once they learn what is happening with Bonnie. It will be hard enough to stop everyone from showing up here. Although…."

He asked, "What?"

"If Bonnie can't go to the party, the party could always come to her," she replied thoughtfully.

The younger man stroked his chin and hummed in agreement. It was always a party when the Benedetto and Loiacono families were together. The beach house was certainly large enough to accommodate everyone. It probably wouldn't be too difficult to transport the food across town. He said, "I guess we will have to see what Cole says."

Damon was literally grinding his teeth as he watched Tyler and Geneva chatting casually. It was as if the little bastard did not fear him at all. The familiarity also grated on his nerves. He could only remember seeing Geneva a handful of times in his life. However, Tyler seemed to know her well. It made him wonder about the depth of the connection between the two families. The Loiaconos were obviously more than just spies for Bonnie's family.

Zach was standing near his nephew but his attention was elsewhere. He was staring at the black and white picture mounted over the fireplace. He instantly recognized the four people captured in the still. He wondered if Damon had noticed it. He looked away from the picture to see that Ric had seen it, too.

Ric huffed out a bitter laugh. He had been furious with Abby after learning that her family was taking control of the smuggling operation. However, he had fumed the entire car ride as he and Zach discussed the Lockwood family's duplicity. He couldn't believe that Abby had shared his bed and life for nearly twenty years without ever breathing a word of it to him. In hindsight, Abby had made her position clear when she reminded him that she was a Benedetto and he was a Salvatore.

Damon snapped out of his brooding and asked, "What?"

Damon had given him the highlights of the discussion with Bonnie. Zach was still trying to accept that the Loiacono family had been spying for the Benedettos for decades. However, the picture was black and white proof of the closeness shared by the two families. He wondered if the connection had always been so blatant.

Alaric stood and walked closer to the photo. He examined it closely and shook his head. He looked at Tyler and snapped, "Where was this taken?"

Geneva felt the way the younger man tensed beside her. He was obviously ready to fight but she wouldn't allow that to happen—not while Bonnie's health was uncertain. She answered, "You know very well where and when that photo was taken. I would choose your next words carefully."

Damon looked between his uncles and the older woman. "What is going on?"

Ric shook his head and motioned to the picture.

Zach said, "The two kids in the picture are Bonnie and Tyler. The two men are Paul Benedetto and Alonzo Lockwood. It was taken the day they died."

"The day they were murdered in cold blood because of your incompetent brother," Geneva hissed.

Zach knew how important it was to tread lightly here. The Bennett sisters had taken the death of their baby brother hard. The way Geneva had drawn up like an angry cat suggested that she had not let it go. Zach could understand her grief. He found himself conflicted about Giuseppe's deserved death. Despite all his faults, Giuseppe was still the man that raised him. His brother didn't spend every waking moment as an abusive control freak. There had been good times. Zach would hold onto those.

Before an argument could start, Cole and Abby walked downstairs together. The nurse was still upstairs making sure Bonnie was comfortable.

Tyler stood up immediately. "How is Bon doing?"

Cole clapped his younger cousin on the back. He looked up to address everyone in the room. "Bonnie and the twins are doing well. Her blood sugar was too low and her blood pressure spiked. Low blood sugar isn't uncommon in the second trimester. I am going to speak with the nutritionist to increase Bonnie's daily caloric intake. The spike in blood pressure is more disconcerting. Dr. Huerta and I have been working overtime to keep Bonnie's blood pressure within the acceptable range. I am going to continue monitoring Bonnie closely but it is not cause for alarm right now."

The relief in the room was practically palpable. Damon said, "I want to see Bonnie."

Tyler snapped, "Are you out of your fucking mind? Did you not hear him just say that the spike in blood pressure contributed to Bonnie fainting? This is your fault! She wouldn't be in this position if you hadn't been here crying like a little bitch trying to guilt her into taking you back."

Geneva gave a full-throated laugh. She said, "Tell the truth and shame the devil…"

Damon growled, "What the fuck did you just say to me?

Zach's eyes rolled skyward. It was as if the kid wanted Damon to murder him. Frankly, Zach didn't know how much control he could assert over his nephew in this situation. Their relationship dynamic started to shift the moment he became boss.

He grasped Damon's arm and spoke lowly, "Use your words, nipote. You need to think about Bonnie right now. Getting into a fight with Tyler will only upset her. We dodged a bullet tonight."

Damon was livid but he heard his uncle's sound reasoning. More than anything, he wanted to see Tyler's blood on his hands. He stood as still as a stone statue. Damon feared any movement would end with him being across the room with his hands around Tyler's throat.

He roared, "Where the fuck do you get off thinking you have a say in this? I know that you are enjoying playing house with Bonnie but she is my wife. She is always going to be my wife! You are a just a phase. Admittedly it is a pathetic phase, but it doesn't change how this all ends."

Tyler laughed uproariously and retorted, "Bonnie is only your wife because you are a controlling asshole that won't sign the divorce papers! Are you waiting around for her to change her mind? Do you really think Bonnie will ever forgive you for all the shit you did to her? If you think forgiveness is possible then you know even less about her than I thought! She has finally opened her eyes and realized what everyone around her already knows. You will never be good enough for her. I thank God for that every morning! I spent four years watching my best friend slowly die being married to you."

Damon spat, "Is she your best friend? You were a vulture waiting for an opportunity to take what doesn't belong to you!"

"Of course that is the way you see things because that is all you are capable of doing. Bonnie and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. All I have ever wanted is for her to be happy. I watched the light in her dim a little more every time you picked up a new mistress. She stubbornly insisted that you would come around and all I could do was support her. But I knew the truth. Hell, everyone but Bonnie knew the truth. You were never going to love her because the hearts of most Salvatores are black as coal. Domenico, Giuseppe, and you are all selfish tyrants. You take more than you ever give in return to those around you. It is how your family lost mine. Domenico betrayed a man that was raised under his roof as his brother. Disonore!"

The boy's words tore at his heart like a claw hammer because part of him feared it was true. However, he would never admit that to anyone. He ground out, "I should fucking kill you right here!"

Tyler's brown eyes hardened and he sneered, "Do it! Let your first move as boss be starting a war with two of your oldest allies! My family has been waiting forty years to spill Salvatore blood! If my death has to be the catalyst for that then so be it. But the best news of all is that Bonnie will never forgive you."

Damon was unsure of many things but he knew that Tyler was right about one thing. Bonnie would never forgive him.

Abby rolled her eyes and said, "I hate to interrupt this delightful measuring contest. However, neither of you are in a position to decide who does and does not get to see Bonnie tonight."

Tyler blanched because he was behaving like a Neanderthal. Damon brought out his worst impulses but there was no excuse for arguing with him after Bonnie's health scare. The arguing was probably upsetting her, too. He said, "You're right, Abby. I am sorry for acting like an asshole. Him being here is…."

She nodded. "I understand. In any case, Bonnie made it clear that she has no interest in seeing Damon tonight. She allowed Cole to explain her medical situation and now she would like you to leave, Damon. You will see her again tomorrow at Giuseppe's memorial. Cole believes that she will be well enough to attend. Isn't that right?"

Cole said, "I want her to take it easy tonight. However, Bonnie should be back on her feet by morning barring any unforeseen complications. I will monitor her condition closely tonight—especially her blood pressure and blood sugar. I anticipate a sharp course correction now that Bonnie has eaten and we are reducing her stress level."

The mobster scowled at his mother-in-law. "I am not leaving this house without seeing Bonnie."

Abby lifted an eyebrow and said, "You are emotional so I am going to give you some leeway. However, Bonnie doesn't want to talk anymore. I am not going to allow you to force her into a conversation she doesn't want to have. You said your piece earlier now go home, please."

He snapped, "I am not going to stand here and let you lecture me about what is best for my wife. I am sure you are getting a kick out of playing the doting mother to Bonnie now. But where the fuck were you the other eighteen years of her life, Abby?"

Ric pushed away from the fireplace. He moved between his nephew and Abby. Ric said, "You're angry and I don't blame you. But I'm not going to let you disrespect Abby. She is your wife's mother and the mother of my children. She deserves more respect from you than that."

Damon snorted. "In what world would I take advice from you? Just last week you were fighting with Abby outside her house. You said worse to her than I just did. Don't even get me started on the fact that half your kids don't even want to be in the same room with you! If I am following anyone's example it would be Zach's."

Ric's entire demeanor changed on a dime. He reached out quicker than his age would suggest and wrapped his meaty paw around Damon's neck. "Boss or not, I am still your fucking uncle and you will respect me. You ungrateful little motherfucker."

The younger man lashed out and punched his uncle hard enough to bloody his nose. "You really shouldn't be throwing that term around since you did in fact fuck my mother."

"What?" Abby sputtered from behind them.

Ric released Damon just as quickly as he had grabbed him. He whirled around to look at Abby. "He's just talking shit, baby."

Bonnie slowly walked down the stairs. She had been listening to the sideshow from her bedroom. Frankly, she was tired of all the bickering.

Tyler looked up and saw Bonnie headed towards them. He met her on the landing and helped her down the stairs. He scolded her gently, "You are supposed to be resting."

She allowed Tyler to help her because she still felt light-headed. She asked, "How the fuck am I supposed to rest with all of this noise?"

Damon looked up when he heard Bonnie's voice. He had the strangest urge to whisk her away from this place and these people. Damon had done enough to make her hate him. However, he was also fighting against the sins of his father and grandfather. Somehow he had been lumped into the same category with those assholes. He said, "Bunny…"

Tyler pressed a kiss to her temple and murmured. "I am sorry."

Bonnie shook her head and cracked a small smile as they reached the first floor. She teased, "It's fine. I would have thought you were a punk if you didn't stand up to Damon."

Tyler bit back a laugh and gently squeezed her hip. He reluctantly released Bonnie so that she could speak with Damon.

She walked over to Damon and asked, "Can I see you outside…alone?"

He swallowed thickly and nodded. "Sure."

The couple slowly walked to the glass doors that led out to a beautiful redwood deck. A glass panel railing provided an unobstructed view of the beach below.

She sat down on the couch and patted the space next to her.

Damon sat beside Bonnie. "Are you truly okay?"

She nodded. "I am. Cole is an amazing doctor. He will make sure that the twins are safe and healthy. I know everything is strained between us right now but I would do anything to protect our babies, Damon."

He slowly let out a sigh of relief. The mobster ran a hand through his hair and said, "I am sure you are tired of hearing his from me, but I am sorry. I didn't come here to upset you. I just wanted answers. I don't understand how it all got so off track. It seems like we fight every time we are together. I don't want it to be this way."

"I don't want it to be this way either, Damon. But you also aren't solely responsible for our fights. I rarely pass up an opportunity to take a swipe at you," she confessed.

He huffed out a tired laugh. "I've noticed. I can't say that I blame you."

"You don't have a leg to stand on with me but it doesn't make it right. I worked myself up into a frenzy earlier. I shouldn't have engaged with you but I couldn't pass up the chance to dig the knife in more. I realize that trying to make you feel as bad as you have made me isn't going to solve anything. It just makes the situation more volatile. I think we both know there is too much at stake for that to continue," she said and rested a hand on her stomach for emphasis.

Damon's eyes went to her baby bump. He nodded. "Agreed."

Bonnie said, "The only way this works if you start respecting me."

"I do respect you, Bunny," he insisted.

She smiled wryly. "I need you to respect me as an adult and as the head of my organization. You still call me 'Bunny'. I think sometimes you still see me as that little girl running around the Manor with pigtails."

"I didn't know that you disliked the nickname," he said with furrowed eyebrows.

Bonnie said, "I don't hate the name. This is more about you taking me seriously. I don't care what you call me as long as you understand that I am not a kid anymore."

"I stopped looking at you as a kid when we started having sex," he replied.

"Did you really? Maybe you stopped looking at me as a kid but you certainly didn't respect me as your equal."

Damon frowned because Bonnie was right about that. He admitted, "I guess I think of you in the same way that I think about Stefan. I know how incredibly warped that must sound to you. I know that you are both adults now but I haven't figured out what that means. I spent so much time trying to shield the two of you from the death and darkness. I guess I didn't really do a very good job."

Bonnie actually believed Damon's explanation. She had witnessed how Damon still treated Stefan as his kid brother. He had been content to protect Stefan from the ugliness of the business until recently. The shift had only occurred because the younger man demanded it. She squeezed his hand. "You did as well as could be expected considering our families."

He scoffed and muttered, "Our families. Your family hates mine."

She laughed softly. "…with a passion."

Damon was nervous but he needed to know the truth. He asked, "How do you feel about my family?"

She said, "I am not inclined to paint all Salvatores with the same brush because I have lived among you for years. Stefan has always been good to me. Zach has never been anything but respectful and caring towards me. I have my issues with Alaric but that is simply because of how unhappy he makes my mother. You can guess what I think about Giuseppe."

"And me?" he asked in a voice that was entirely too hopeful.

Bonnie looked out at the waves crashing against the shore. "My feelings about you are complicated. I wasn't lying earlier when I said that I love you. But I don't like you very much right now. I definitely take too much pleasure in trying to make you feel as small as possible. But you are my family, Damon. We have history and you are always going to be part of my life. We just have to find a way to do that without tearing each other apart."

He nodded. It wasn't what he wanted to hear but it was better than the alternative.

"But you have to let me go."

He snorted, "That is easier said than done. I know that you have convinced yourself that I don't love you, but I do. And I am not talking about familial love. I fell in love with you years ago. I just never let myself act on it. I never imagined that you would fall in love with me. I thought you were smarter than that."

Bonnie laughed softly and said, "Love and intelligence rarely go hand-in-hand. The feelings I had for you started out as a stupid schoolgirl crush. I was a very lonely little girl that was used to the adults in my life abandoning me. But you always made time for me. It didn't matter what you were doing, you would stop to see if I was okay. I know how benign that must sound but it was so important to me. Things changed as I got older."

"When did you know that you loved me?" he asked.

She shook her head and said, "I don't see how it matters now."

"It matters to me," he implored.

Bonnie confessed, "It had been building while we spent time with each other before the wedding. But I really fell in love with you the month we spent in Taha'a for our honeymoon. It was just the two of us. No families. No friends. No distractions. Just the two of us and the most beautiful island I have ever seen. You were gentle, caring, attentive, and everything I needed you to be. We had so much fun together and it gave me hope. Then we went home and it wasn't long after that Grams died. I grieved so hard and for so long that I didn't notice you had reverted to type. We had been married for maybe eight months before I learned that you were seeing Katherine behind my back. Grams had warned me that you would keep a mistress but…"

Damon shook his head. "I'm sorry, Bonnie. You didn't deserve that. How did you find out?"

She smiled sadly. "Katherine approached me one day when I was leaving Mass. She didn't come right out and say that the two of you were sleeping together but it piqued my interest. I suppose she thought at my age that I would fly into some temper tantrum and demand answers from you. Instead, I decided to keep track of all your movements. That turned out to be an act of masochism. Every new mistress and fling was like a knife to the heart."

Damon was torn between being furious with Katherine and angry at his own actions. However, sadness was probably the most overwhelming feeling. He hated seeing the pain he had caused Bonnie reflected back at him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What would it have changed, Damon?"

"Everything…" he swore

Bonnie shook her head. "You're lying to yourself. I gave you the opportunity a couple weeks ago and you ran right back to her."

"Do you want the truth?"

"That would be a refreshing change of pace."

Damon said, "My relationship Katherine was newer at the time. I could have ended things with her. Enzo would have been thrilled if I gave Katherine to him."

Bonnie looked disgusted. "I hate Katherine but you can't just give another human being to someone. When you say shit like that it makes me worry about what you will teach our son."

He said, "I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I meant that Enzo was interested in Katherine back then. It was definitely mutual-probably still is to some degree. I could have stepped out of the way so that he had a chance. I know that you don't think highly of me but I wouldn't teach our son to disrespect women. I never taught that sort of thing to Stefan. You can't think that he developed any of his good manners from anything Giuseppe taught him."

"Do as I say and not as I do?" she asked incredulously.

Damon shrugged his shoulders.

Tyler walked out of the house. "Bon…"

"What the fuck are you doing out here?" Damon demanded.

Bonnie recognized the concerned look on Tyler's face. She stood up and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Big John is here," he replied hesitantly. The mobster added, "He's not happy."

Her eyes widened in shock. She looked back at Damon and warned, "You need to get your uncles and get the hell out of here before real blood is spilled tonight."

Tyler followed Bonnie in the house without sparing Damon a glance.

The first thing she saw upon entering the living room was a tense standoff between her uncle and Alaric. Zach was struggling in vain to keep his brother from doing something stupid. Bonnie plastered on a big smile and greeted him, "Bunosera, Zio!"

The name Big John wasn't merely a moniker. At six-five and two hundred and fifty pounds, John was a massive man. His skin tone was a dark olive color and he had bright hazel eyes. His wavy jet-black hair was starting to go silver in his old age but it just made him look more attractive. He sidestepped Alaric and enveloped Bonnie in a warm hug. In a heavily accented voice, she said, "Mio fiore."

Bonnie soaked in the comfort his hug provided. Her nerves were frayed. "I am happy to see you. Of course you are always welcome in my home, but…"

He smiled warmly. "You are wondering what I am doing here?"

She nodded.

"Jamie called me because he was worried for your mother…"

Abby blinked in surprise. "Why was Jamie worried about me?"

John looked pointedly at Alaric. "He was worried because this stronzo showed up…"

All of the fight died in Ric when he realized his son had been afraid of him. Or at the very least worried that he would start another fight with Abby.

Bonnie cleared her throat and looked at Damon imploringly. "I think perhaps it is time for you all to leave."

Damon looked around at all the tense faces in the room. He moved closer to Bonnie and took her hand. "We will leave because I do not want to further add to your stress tonight. However, I would like to propose a meeting tomorrow night. We need to resolve the animosity between our two families, Bunny. Otherwise, this will end with bodies on both sides. And I don't think either of us truly wants that to happen. We have many differences and grievances that separate us but blood still binds our families together."

Bonnie was surprised by Damon's reasonable request. She nodded. "We will have to determine a location but I can agree to a meeting. However, our position remains the same. The only way to clear Giuseppe's debt is for you to release the Loiacono family without penalty."

He rubbed his thumb over Bonnie's knuckles. "Done…"

Tyler looked as if he had sucked an entire lemon as he watched Damon touch Bonnie.

"Then we will meet with you tomorrow night after Giuseppe's funeral repast," she replied.

Damon was learning the true dynamics of the Benedetto organization on the fly. The hard set to Big John's jaw suggested he wasn't pleased with this agreement. Yet the older man remained silent because as Bonnie had said earlier, he served as head of half of the Benedetto organization. Damon's wife helmed the other half and it seemed that she was genuinely in charge. Before now, Damon hadn't been sure if she was merely a puppet monarch. He kissed her cheek and replied, "Thank you."


	55. What Pairs Well With Patricide?

Damon had spent the last hour trying to get Victor to fall asleep. The toddler had been wired because of all the activity in the house. Family members from two continents had been arriving all evening in preparation for tomorrow. Damon plopped into the chair behind his desk with a tired groan. He closed his eyes and just took a couple of minutes to decompress in the silence of the study. Nothing had gone as he had planned today. Perhaps the only redeeming aspect had been his conversations with Bonnie. He had found both instances to be enlightening for vastly different reasons. Damon had come to accept that his wife would not be running into his arms any time soon. However, the challenging discourse had strengthened his belief in a possible reconciliation in the future. Tyler seemed certain that Bonnie would never forgive Damon's many transgressions. He did not share the younger man's pessimistic view of the situation.

A romantic reconciliation with Bonnie was out of reach for now. However, Damon was certain that he could arrange some semblance of a détente in their business relationship. The simple fact was that no one really wanted to kick off a costly mob war. All the parties involved would pay too high a price for it ever to be seriously worthwhile. Yet Damon also realized that he would not have very much latitude to operate. The Benedetto family would not believe any of his actions were made with good intentions. Apparently, his father and grandfather had acted in bad faith for so long that they had poisoned the relationship with their allies. Damon had witnessed Big John's barely disguised hostility tonight. He had no doubt the older man would have murdered Ric with his bare hands if Zach had not been acting as the desperate peacemaker.

Damon had decided on the spot that acquiescing to Bonnie's demand was the right decision. He had no use for the Loiacono family now that he knew about their duplicity. However, he was more concerned about the possibility of more moles lurking within his organization. Damon found it unlikely that Bonnie would expose the Loiacono family without a contingency in place. The only issue was he had no clue how to unearth any remaining moles. If Emily had successfully turned the Loiaconos, his family's oldest allies, then anything was possible. She had wisely attacked a relationship that was already broken. Damon planned to make use of the presence of his great-uncles. They would know best which people had long standing grievances with his father or grandfather. There were no guarantees that this method would work but he had to try something. Giuseppe might have been content to allow Sheila to manipulate the organization covertly but Bonnie did not seem interested in operating in the shadows any longer. Damon thought of Sheila as a grifter because she manipulated the mark into doing her bidding. Meanwhile, Bonnie seemed more inclined to hold the mark at gunpoint to get her way. Damon was not pleased with being the 'mark' in this scenario but admittedly he was turned on by her methods.

Damon's blue eyes seemed drawn to the bar across the room. Several glasses of bourbon were just what he needed to pass out for the rest of the night. However, he was trying to drink in moderation. He knew that quitting cold turkey was unrealistic. Damon was an alcoholic and he was not interested in going through withdrawals. Unfortunately, Damon knew that he would not be capable of moderation tonight. He had a myriad of emotions that he was desperate to suppress. Drinking heavily was a gateway drug for him. He usually turned to harder drugs or sex if alcohol didn't work. He was worried that he would end up telling Enzo to score some coke for him or he might end up at the penthouse with Katherine. Both of those options were absolutely out of the question. He wouldn't give Bonnie more reasons to despise him.

He pried his gaze away from the bar when he heard someone knock on the door. Damon wasn't surprised to see his uncle walking into the room. He had been expecting a pep talk from Zacharias since they left Bonnie's house.

Zacharias placed a plate of steaming hot baked ziti in front of his nephew. Then he sat in front of the desk with a plate of his own. He motioned at the younger man and said, "I can't remember the last time you ate. I am sure that you don't recall either."

Damon frowned as he tried to remember his last meal. He realized that it had been lunch with the kids. Damon picked up the fork and mumbled, "Thanks."

The older man nodded in acknowledgement as he started on his meal.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Damon raised an eyebrow. "Well…"

Zach stopped eating and looked at his nephew quizzically. "What?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Aren't you going to tell me how I fucked up tonight?"

He huffed out a laugh and said, "I don't need to hold your fucking hand on this situation, Damon. You know that you fucked up without me having to tell you. The important part is that you turned it around in the end. Will you fuck up again? Of course, you will."

Damon snorted, "Thanks for your vote of confidence…"

"What do you want me to say, Damon? I told you not to go over there today. I figured it would be better to arrange a sit down meeting in the days following the funeral. Instead, you throw a fucking tantrum **again** and stressed Bonnie out to the point that she fainted."

He said, "I thought that you weren't going to lecture me about it."

The older man shrugged. "You kept pushing so I assumed that you must have wanted to hear it. All I can hope is that tonight made you understand the gravity of our situation. A war with the Benedetto family is not far off if we don't find a way to make peace with them."

Damon nodded and he took another bite of his meal. He leaned back in the leather chair and groaned. "Yeah, I picked up on the vibe. Big John seriously wants Ric dead."

"Ric should be more concerned about what Abby will do to him. You really made his situation worse by bringing up Lilly. He's on the phone answering for that shit now. I told him that he better not eat anything Abby cooks for awhile," he jested.

He winced sympathetically. Damon knew that he was an asshole for torpedoing Ric's already fragile relationship. "What's the over/under on him trying to kick my ass tonight?"

Zach shook his head and said, "You are in the clear for now. Ric is focused on sorting out his family issues. It doesn't mean that he won't randomly kick your ass in the coming weeks."

Damon asked, "Did you talk to our uncles about the Benedetto problem?"

"Yes and they have agreed to join the meeting tomorrow night. Uncle Bruno has a solid relationship with John. I hope that he will be able to help us negotiate something fair. I think you should consider asking Bonnie to claim all the moles her family placed in our organization. Give our two organizations a fresh start."

He hummed as he took another bite of ziti. Damon considered his uncle's suggestion. It was not likely that Bonnie would be truthful with them. However, there was much to be learned from observing her reaction and response to the request. She might even be inclined to reveal the names of a few moles that she would prefer work for her openly. Bonnie was making a big push with her business. She obviously needed people she trusted implicitly to help her make those moves. "I want our people to look into the deaths and disappearances that we originally attributed to Giuseppe."

Zach nodded and said, "I was thinking the same thing. I mean my brother is still the most likely suspect but it would be naïve not to look deeper. We need to learn as much as possible about Bonnie…the boss."

Damon put his fork down. "I am still trying to incorporate this new version of Bonnie with the girl that I thought I knew."

"My older brother wasn't good for much but he said something wise. It was naïve of us to believe Bonnie's façade without question. Sheila was far too shrewd to have raised her granddaughter to be dependent on a man to secure her family's legacy."

Zach had included himself in the statement because he had never once suspected Bonnie's motivations or intentions. She seemed to retain the sweet disposition of the little girl he had watched grow into a young woman. She had played right into their expectations and left them completely disarmed.

Damon asked, "Do you think Bonnie has actually killed someone? I don't mean giving the order but actually getting her hands dirty. Do you think she is capable of taking a life?"

The older man took a moment to gather his thoughts because he had taken time to consider it earlier. He said, "You wouldn't be sitting in that chair if you were not a made man. The men loyal to this family would not respect you in that position if you had not spilled blood for this family. We haven't heard the slightest hint of disharmony from the men within the smuggling operation since Bonnie has taken control. I had expected some defectors but they have all stood pat. They obviously respect her and I can only think it is because she has proven herself to them in some way. The men would not stand by her simply because John's grandsons are here. Cesare and Cristian will not be here forever and everyone knows that. They must believe that Bonnie is capable of running the organization without assistance from her cousins."

Damon's thoughts kept straying to how easy Bonnie had handled Tyler's gun. It was obvious that she was familiar with the proper way to hold and use a firearm. Had Sheila really made Bonnie kill someone to make her bones? How young had his wife been when she had been required to kill for the first time? Damon wondered if it had been as traumatic as his experience. It was strange how quickly the narrative he had built is his head about Bonnie had started to change. He wasn't ready to voice any of his newly formed theories to his uncle. He said, "Richard is betting his entire family's safety on Bonnie being able to hold onto the organization."

He nodded. "Richard has always been prudent when it comes to risk taking. He wouldn't have attached his fate to Bonnie's unless he trusts her implicitly. There is only so much support that Big John can offer from across an ocean."

Damon sighed and shoveled more ziti into his mouth.

"What is it?" Zacharias asked.

He said, "I am just trying to figure out how the fuck we protect our people in Milazzo if we can't maintain the alliance with the Benedetto family. The Benedetto and Loiacono families banding together would easily overrun everyone loyal to us."

Zach leaned forward in his chair. "I know that you were groomed for this position by my blood thirsty brother. However, I have found that diplomacy is always the wisest course of action. Extend the olive branch…"

"And if they reject this olive branch? We're not just dealing with hate from the Benedetto family. The Loiacono family has been waiting decades to have a chance at revenge."

He smiled at his nephew. "You extend the olive branch and if they reject it, then you fucking stab them with it. However, Emily and Sheila were able to keep the Loiacono family's bloodlust at bay. Bonnie must be similarly capable if they didn't make a move as soon as Sheila died."

Damon shook his head. "All of this madness was caused because your old man was a racist prick with a serious inferiority complex. What kind of degenerate frames his own god brother for a crime that sends him to prison for well over a decade?"

Zacharias frowned and said, "We only know the Loiacono side of the story. I'll wait for judgment until I hear what Uncle Bruno has to say."

"I think it might be time for you to accept that Nonno might have been an evil prick. His deviancy just took a different shape than Giuseppe's did," Damon explained as delicately as he could.

The older man tensed.

Damon held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not trying to be an asshole here. I know that you love him. I am not suggesting that new information should change the way you feel. But I need you to be rational when we are hashing out our issues at this meeting."

"And you think that you will be rational?" Zach asked skeptically.

He shrugged. "I don't hold any emotional attachment to my grandfather and I hated Giuseppe. Nothing they say about either of them will be any skin off my nose. My only stumbling block will be staying calm around Tyler."

Zach groaned but nodded in agreement. He was the one that was most attached to his father's legacy because it was all that he had. Zach had been so young when Giuseppe killed his father. He had few memories of Domenico that were not shaped by stories he had been told over the years. He said, "I'll stow my shit long enough to get this deal done. Can you be civil to Tyler?"

Damon shook his head. "I am going to try but it's not easy. I wanted to kill the son of a bitch tonight. Tyler is obviously fucking my wife and he had the nerve to say I couldn't see her. She's pregnant with my children. He has a lot of fucking nerve thinking that he has the right to get between us."

"Well, you are going to have to figure out a way to cope because it doesn't look as if he is going anywhere," Zach said gently. He had seen the casual touches between Bonnie and Tyler. In his opinion, Damon was worried about the wrong thing. The emotional connection Bonnie shared with the boy was far more troublesome than whatever they were doing behind closed doors.

"I don't need you to tell me that," he muttered bitterly. "He loves her."

Zach was surprised that his nephew had been observant. He said, "Perhaps…"

"She loves him, too. It means this farce is going to drag out much longer than I originally thought. Even when Bonnie starts to realize this relationship isn't going to work, she's going to hold on to avoid hurting him."

Zach shook his head. "I still don't understand why you are so certain that their relationship is going to end."

Damon said, "Because there is a difference between loving someone and being in love with that person. It is like I told Bonnie, I love Rose but I have never been in love with her. In theory, Rose should be my perfect match. She is easily the best friend I have ever had. Rose is always there supporting me and cleaning up my messes. Hell, I wouldn't have seen my daughters on Christmas if she hadn't taken initiative. But even with all the boxes Rose checks, there is no passion there. We could get married and we would probably be relatively happy but it isn't the same thing as being in love. The way I feel about Bonnie, I have never felt that for anyone else. I know without a doubt that it is the same for Bonnie. She is going to realize that. I just have to be patient enough to let her come to that conclusion."

Zach was actually proud of his nephew's insight. He only hoped that Damon's assessment was correct. He wasn't sure how the younger man would react if Bonnie shunned him permanently. Damon seemed certain that Bonnie would eventually break up with Tyler. However, Zach wasn't certain that he should count on the young woman looking to reconcile with him. He frowned when he saw a disconcerting smile on his nephew's face. He warily said, "Damon…"

"What?" he asked with faux innocence. He went back to eating dinner.

"What are you planning?" he asked.

Damon said, "I am not planning anything, Zio. I was just thinking that perhaps it is time to bring the Gilbert family more into the fold. Losing John has weakened our ties to them. We can't really afford to lose more long-time supporters. I want to talk to Grayson about arranging something for his kids."

Zach glared at his nephew because Damon's was being entirely too transparent. He wanted to needle Tyler by arranging a marriage for his ex-girlfriend. He said, "Your motivations aside, it would be wise to strengthen our connection to them. Maybe the boy could be an option. I know John was interested in arranging something between Jeremy and one of Ric's daughters."

Damon asked, "Do you think that Ric will go for that?"

Zach hummed noncommittally. "He's got some ground to make up with his girls before he can even broach that conversation. Jo might be willing to help. She knows that importance of intermarriage."

He snorted. "Or she hates Ric so much that the idea of subjecting her daughters to the same fate will be out of the question."

"That is also a strong possibility."

Damon said, "Way to go on not having any daughters, Zio."

Zach grabbed his crotch without offering a verbal answer. Frankly, he was glad that he only had sons.

He chuckled and asked, "What about Greta?"

Zach titled his head as he considered the match. "Greta is a couple years older than the boy but it wouldn't be the worst match. I'll talk to Uncle Jackie about it."

Damon nodded. "I am serious about arranging something for Elena, too."

"You're the boss. If you really want me to talk to Grayson about arranging a marriage for his daughter then I will do it. But I would caution you against meddling with Bonnie and Tyler's relationship. They are going to see this move for what it is and you might not like the response."

His uncle's argument gave him some pause. Marrying Elena off to one of his relatives was a petty maneuver by anyone's standards. However, Bonnie had revealed herself as spiteful and somewhat vindictive. He had no way of predicting what she might do to get under his skin. Damon shook his head. "I can't run this organization based on Bonnie's reactions. Of course, I want to piss off Tyler but this move is also smart for our family. The Gilberts' ties run deep in the old country. We need to bolster our position if we are letting the Loiacono family end their service to us."

Zach shook his head. His nephew was behaving like a little bastard but his point was valid. The Gilberts hailed from a town maybe 30 miles away from Milazzo. Having a large presence in the areas surrounding Milazzo was wise considering the current shift in power.

There was a hurried knock on the door and then suddenly Stefan was standing in the office looking jittery and guilty as hell.

Damon lifted an amused eyebrow because so often his brother reminded him of the little boy he once was. Stefan was wearing the same expression he wore whenever he did something that might upset Damon. "What's going, Stef?"

Stefan swallowed thickly and said, "I want to start out by saying that I didn't invite her here. I would never disregard your wishes that way, Damon."

The amusement slowly bled out of the mobster. He sat up taller in his chair and ground out, "Who?"

"Mom is here…"

Damon was out of his chair and across the room in seconds. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. He knew that his mother was a manipulative bitch that had somehow gotten her hooks into his little brother. He asked, "What is she doing here?"

"I just…I called and told her that Giuseppe had died. I thought it was the right thing to do since they were married once. I didn't want her to find out on the news. She asked if I wanted her here and I said no. I thought that was the end of it but…she just arrived in a cab. I told Mom that she needed to leave because you wouldn't want her here, but she wants to see you first."

Damon sighed and then squeezed Stefan's shoulder. He murmured, "It is okay. The bitch would have found a way to involve herself even if you hadn't called her. But she's not staying here."

Zach stood up so fast that he tipped over his chair. He demanded, "Where is she?"

Stefan hadn't expected so much anger from his uncle. He said, "She's in the parlor."

Zach brushed by his nephews. He opened the door fast enough to send it crashing against the wall. He stormed into the parlor with a face like thunder.

Lilly was sitting on the couch. Her expression dimmed when she saw Zach barreling towards her like an out of control freight train. She immediately regretted such a bold opening gambit.

Zach was on her in moments. He grabbed Lilly's blouse and dragged her upwards. He growled in her face, "What part of our last conversation did you misunderstand?"

Lilly swallowed thickly because Zach's unbridled rage reminded her of Giuseppe. Her nerves were already on edge returning to the Manor. The picturesque home used to be her prison. Too many times to count, Lilly had believed that she would die there. She said, "I am just here to support my sons through this trying time. Losing their father is such an incredible burden."

He released Lilly's shirt and removed his gun from its holster. He pressed the barrel of the gun against her forehead. Zach was practically seething. In a gravelly voice, he said, "I should kill you right here."

Damon skidded to a stop when he rushed into the room. He approached the situation cautiously because this was out of character for his uncle. Zacharias was never violent without legitimate cause. He certainly wasn't known for violence against women. However, it looked as if he was going to blow Lilly's head off in the middle of the parlor. He said, "Let her go, Zio."

Stefan stood in the doorway with his mouth agape. He felt frozen in place and unsure of what to do. He knew Lilly showing up uninvited was going to be bad but this was next level even for his dysfunctional family.

Zach ignored his nephew completely and pressed the gun harder against her forehead. He removed the safety and rested his finger just above the trigger. He stared into Lilly's fearful eyes with complete apathy. He said, "I told you to stay the fuck away from my nephews. I made the consequences of disobeying that order very clear. I can only assume that you came here to die. You have always been too cowardly to kill yourself, despite the numerous times you threatened to do so."

Damon said, "Come on, Zio. The kids are upstairs. You don't want to do this here."

Lilly began to feel lightheaded from the sheer tear gripping her heart. She had seriously underestimated Zach. She didn't remember him being this volatile. She was too shaken to respond to his cruel barbs.

Stefan cried out, "Zio, please!"

Zach looked over his shoulder and saw that Stefan was legitimately in tears. He turned to look at Lilly once again before releasing her.

Lilly collapsed onto the couch and instantly grabbed her purse. She removed a bottle from the bag and dumped several pills into her mouth.

Zach sat on the coffee table so that he was at her eye level. "Look at me."

Lilly was still struggling to catch her breath.

He bellowed, "Look at me!"

Lilly slowly raised her eyes to look at Zach.

He said, "Maybe you didn't heed my warning because you didn't think I was serious. I know I have a reputation for being reasonable but you also know the lengths I will go to protect this family. You are a fucking cancer as malignant as Giuseppe ever was. You are only still breathing because Stefan is in the room. I will end you if we cross paths again. Now keep your mouth shut and leave this house."

Zach turned around and walked out of the room.

Damon stared at his mother for a moment and then took out his wallet. He gave Stefan all the cash he had on hand. He said, "Get her the fuck out of here and get a doctor to look at her. Tell Ric to help you since they are such close friends. Make sure she keeps her fucking mouth shut about this."

Stefan nodded numbly as he held onto the money that Damon and shoved into his hand.

The elder of the Salvatores left the room to track down his uncle. He found Zach in the backyard. He yelled, "What the hell was that? You got in my face for grabbing Bonnie's arm but you held a gun to Lilly's head in the fucking parlor!"

Zach whirled around and said, "Back off, Damon! I don't have time to coddle you right now."

Damon lifted an eyebrow. "Fuck you. I have never needed to be coddled. What is wrong with you?"

"I told that miserable bitch to stay away from you and Stefan," he replied through gritted teeth.

The younger man said, "Yeah, I got that part. But I don't understand why. I hate Lilly but I can't stop Stefan from having a relationship with her. The kid is too young to remember how completely useless Lilly is. He'll figure it out the more time he spends with her."

Zach said, "She caused Stefan to have a fucking mental breakdown. Nothing good can come from having her near either of you. I want her on the first plane back to Paris or I will kill her."

Damon swallowed thickly because it had to be serious for Zach to react this way. He said, "Stefan is better now, Zio. Isn't he?"

He walked over to his nephew and took Damon's face in both of his hands. "What do you think will happen if Stefan learns that Giuseppe might not be his father? Do you think your little brother could survive that sort of downward spiral?"

Damon's blood ran cold. He stumbled backwards. "What are you saying?"

"Ric admitted that Stefan might be his son. I think that is why she allowed Stefan to think Ric might have raped her. She probably thought it would lead him to the paternity question. Fortunately, Stefan believed Ric when he said there was no way he could be his father. You can't think that she is here to do anything but stir up more shit. I won't let her get into that boy's head again. You know how close Stefan came to murdering Ric last time. We have enough shit on our plate already. We all have to be united…"

The younger man stood there unable to form words. He did the math on Stefan and Ric's ages for the first time. "Was Ric even legal at the time?"

Zach shook his head. "When it started? Hell no. By the time Stefan was born? Barely."

Damon took a step back and raked a hand over his head. "I'll get her out of the country even if I have to get her on our jet at gunpoint. I just killed one parent, it would be a shame to kill the other but I will if necessary."

"No, let Ric handle your psychopathic mother. You have other duties and responsibilities that need attention."

He lifted an eyebrow and quipped, "Because Ric has been having great luck with the women in his life."

"Then I will handle it," Zach replied because Damon was right about Ric's success rate.

Damon huffed out a laugh. "You just put a gun to her head. You are not exactly the right person for the job. I will handle it. Trust me."

He blinked and then chuckled. "Maybe you are right."

"I mean you really let your crazy out, Zio. I was like 80% sure that you were going to whack her right there," he said.

"I was," he confessed.

Damon scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Are you okay?"

"You don't need to worry about me. I'm not having a nervous breakdown," he replied with a smile.

He said, "I'm not saying that you are. I guess I just realized that you spend most of your time taking care of us. We don't really check in to see how you are doing. That is short-sighted of me considering that Giuseppe just died. He was you brother."

Zach deadpanned, "And he was your father. I don't see you shedding any tears for the son of a bitch."

Damon held his hands up in surrender. "I am going to go see what's happening with Lilly. Then I will call Rose. She will make all the arrangements to get Mommy Dearest out of the country ASAP. She is also probably the only one that can deal with Lilly without wanting to kill her."

"Get your brother away from Lilly before she fills his head with more bullshit," he insisted.

"Don't worry about it, Zio. I will handle it," Damon promised.

The younger man walked back into the house. He sent Rose a message to get her working on a solution. Then he decided to call his brother. However, it wasn't necessary because Stefan was loitering outside the parlor with a pinched expression. Damon asked, "Why are you standing out here like you're waiting for a bus?"

He said, "I went to get Zio like you said. He told me to stay out here while he talked to Mom."

Damon opened the door and walked inside since it was his house now. He just started laughing when he saw that Ric was hugging Lilly. It was as if the universe was toying with him. He had resisted the urge to drink all evening but this just might be his tipping.

Ric frowned at his nephew. "I'm only trying to calm her down, Damon. She was having a panic attack when I got here."

"I don't care. Get her out of here before Zach comes back to finish the job."

Lilly started trembling again.

Ric snapped, "Are you being serious right now?"

"Don't look at me. Your psycho brother is the one that was about to redecorate the room with her brains."

Stefan said, "Damon…"

The older brother shook his head and gave his brother a stern look. "I am not interested in listening to an impassioned defense for your mother. I just want her gone. Rose will get her a flight back home tonight."

Lilly softly said, "I am your mother too, Damon."

Damon tensed. "You lost the right to call yourself my mother a long time ago. There are feral animals that would have been a better mother than you were. Don't look for any sort of sympathy from me. I only stopped Zach because I didn't want him traumatizing Stefan. Frankly, having you and Giuseppe dead at the same time would be like a fucking holiday for me. For now I'll have to continue hoping you get some sort of incurable cancer."

The woman looked visibly hurt by his coldness. "I didn't want to leave you and Stefan. But Giuseppe…"

He chuckled darkly and asked, "Do you think I really want to hear a sob story about how Giuseppe was beating your ass? I caught the same beatings that you did. What did you think would happen when you left Stefan and me with that asshole? Did you think that he would suddenly become less psychotically abusive? Who did you think would take your portion of beatings? Are you as stupid as Giuseppe always said you were or just disingenuous?"

Lilly choked down the pain from her son's words. She said, "I was going to die here, Damon. I couldn't stay and your father would have never allowed me to take you boys with me."

Damon stepped closer to his mother and whispered, "You sold us to him. He gave you far more than the prenuptial agreement allowed. You have lived a cushy life off our suffering. I never told Stefan because it would break his heart. Don't make me change my mind."

Ric said, "That's enough, Damon. She knows how you feel. There is no need to beat a dead horse."

Damon shrugged his shoulders and said, "I get why you sympathize with Lilly. You were a fucking coward that abandoned us, too."

The older man's entire body tensed at the accusation. They rarely discussed the fact that Ric and Zach moved out of the house to attend college. Meanwhile, Damon and Stefan had been left to deal with Giuseppe alone. He had hoped that his nephew's resentment had cooled over the years. However, it seemed that Damon had only buried it. Ric cleared his throat and said, "Let's get you to a hotel, Lilly."

"Make sure you drive home the point that I won't intervene on her behalf again, Zio," Damon coldly declared before he walked out of the room.


	56. The Mistress

**A/N:** The day of Giuseppe's funeral will be broken into four chapters:

 ***The Mistress**

 ***The Mother**

 ***The Wife**

 ***The Boss**

That means this chapter will be spent with Katherine.

* * *

The blue eyed mobster ran a hand through his perfectly coiffed hair as the elevator climbed the floors to the penthouse level of the Rischard Hotel. He had gotten a haircut and a hot shave in preparation for Giuseppe's memorial. Rose had also ensured that his black suit fit him like a glove. The mob boss needed to look his best because the service was sure to attract the attention of the national media and gossip rags. America was oddly obsessed with the criminal underworld despite their alleged disdain for the violence. There had been a media feeding frenzy in the days leading up to Damon and Bonnie's wedding. Two of America's most infamous crime families uniting had been huge news. Giuseppe's memorial would attract similar attention because of the implications for the future.

Damon was on his way to pick up Nadia. His daughter had never met Giuseppe but the news of her existence had slowly leaked out to the public. Rose planned to release a statement about Nadia an hour before the memorial. They hoped the maelstrom around Giuseppe's death and memorial would dwarf the news about Nadia. However, Rose would have to handle any fallout because he would be occupied. Damon had to play the role of grieving son convincingly. No one outside his close-knit sphere of family and allies could learn just how acrimonious his relationship with Giuseppe had become. Damon did not need law enforcement looking into his father's conveniently timed demise. They had gone to great lengths to erase any evidence of foul play but he did not want the added scrutiny.

Damon hated Giuseppe with every fiber of his being. There had not been a moment when he had ever wavered in his decision to kill the old man. Moreover, he had taken enormous pleasure in torturing the son of a bitch even in his last moments. He was not like his uncles. Damon could not remember ever loving his father. Perhaps he had as a toddler when he did not know any better. However, his earliest memories of Giuseppe centered on being terrified of him. As he grew older, his fear turned into barely contained rage. His proudest moment was the day he stopped cowering in fear and started fighting back. He lost those early battles but it only further strengthened his resolve.

While he could not ever remember loving his father, he did feel a grudging sense of appreciation. Giuseppe was an abusive son of a bitch but he had shaped Damon into a sharpened scalpel capable of carving up his enemies with the skill of a surgeon. He knew how to inflict enough pain to make a man wish for death while denying him that mercy. He knew how to charm and disarm his allies with confident words and an easy smile. Damon could disguise his more monstrous qualities in the company of the civilized and the innocent. Only the whispers of his ruthlessness offered a glimpse into his true nature.

However, violence was not the only thing Damon's father taught him. Giuseppe had insisted on his son attending college. He wanted Damon to be able to walk into a boardroom and command the respect that Giuseppe had to earn the hard way. When his college age son appeared to struggle with substance and alcohol abuse, he forced Damon into rehab quietly. Despite having two brothers perfectly capable of taking over the family business, he had never wavered in his decision to make Damon his successor. Perhaps their only conflict was when that succession should have taken place. Damon should have expected the reluctance. It was never going to be easy for Giuseppe to relinquish the enormous power that came with being the boss. Bonnie had suffered for her husband's oversight.

The knowledge Giuseppe had imparted to his son was invaluable. Even the lessons accompanied by his fists served a purpose for Damon. He wore the scars left behind by his father's cruelty like a suit of armor. The scars were a daily reminder that he had walked through hell and came out the other side. If the man that gave him life could not kill him, he damn sure was not going to let anyone else do it. Damon would need to harness that determination in the coming months. His family's enemies would surely see Giuseppe's death as an opening. Damon would have to squash their hopes with the same ruthless efficiency that they had come to expect from his father and grandfather. Damon would not cede one single block of his family's hard won territory.

He took a deep breath when the elevator doors slid open. Damon was not in the right mind frame to deal with Katherine, but Rose was busy handling Lilly's situation. Getting the harpy out of the country was the higher priority today. Damon wholeheartedly believed that Zacharias would make good on his threat. He would not shed a tear if his uncle whacked Lilly. However, he was worried about Stefan. The younger Salvatore brother was still working through his emotional issues with Dr. Correa. Those issues would likely grow in the wake of Giuseppe's death. He planned to support his younger brother in any way he could. Damon owed him that much.

Damon used his keycard to unlock the penthouse's door. He stepped inside and frowned when he heard loud Bulgarian music playing. The rest of the penthouse seemed suspiciously quiet. Damon followed the music to the bedroom he shared with Katherine.

Katherine was lying on the bed while wearing a eucalyptus facemask. She was dressed in a pair of boy shorts and a large Dodgers t-shirt. She hummed along with the seemingly depressing song. Her slender fingers were wrapped around a crystal tumbler filled with straight vodka.

Damon stood in the doorway and took a moment to drink in the scene. He could not remember a time when he had ever seen Katherine dressed so comfortably. Damon had seen her in every stage of undress but this was different. He reached over and lowered the music's volume to draw her attention.

Katherine sat up ready to berate her mother for the disturbance. Her eyes widened when she realized that Damon was the culprit. She climbed out of the bed feeling oddly naked without makeup or lingerie to entice him. Katherine pulled on a satin robe and asked, "What are you doing here?"

He was amused by how flustered Katherine appeared by his arrival. He watched as she dashed into the bathroom to wash off the facemask. He replied, "I am here to pick up Nadia for the memorial. I texted you last night with the time she should be ready."

Katherine took her time washing and drying her face. Then she took a moment to run a brush through her messy hair before joining Damon in the bedroom. She said, "I was under the impression that your Girl Friday would be picking up Nadia."

Damon suddenly understood why Katherine had been so relaxed. She was not expecting him. This was not exactly the time for introspection but this situation did bring up some curious questions for him. He pushed himself off the wall. "Something came up at the last minute. It was simpler for me to pick up Nadia."

"I am surprised that you are here. I was starting to think you were avoiding me. I haven't seen you since before Christmas," she complained.

He groaned and said, "I've been busy, Katherine."

She rolled her eyes at his bullshit answer. Katherine was not stupid. She knew that Damon was trying to reconcile with Bonnie. As she predicted, the young woman had underestimated Damon's affections for her. Katherine had known that Damon would not give up so easily. However, she had not expected for his efforts to leave her out in the cold. His neglect had been sobering.

She gave a non-committal hum and said, "I'm sure you have."

Damon shook his head. He was not interested in arguing with Katherine today. Frankly, he did enough arguing with his wife. His mistress was supposed to be the simpler of the two relationships. However, he had recently realized how delusional that was. Rose had been pointing out how Katherine had always been angling for more without saying as much. Last night, his conversation with Bonnie had driven home that point. Katherine had been trying to get rid of his wife from the outset. Objectively, Damon could not blame her because no one wanted to play second fiddle. Subjectively, he wanted to strangle Katherine for hurting Bonnie.

He cleared his throat and asked, "Where is my daughter?"

She sat down on the bed and crossed her legs primly. She explained, "Nadia wanted to buy a card for you. She figured that you were sad about the passing of your father. She is too young to know that you are practically dancing an Irish jig. My mother took her to a shop to find something suitable. They should return soon."

Damon was taken aback by his daughter's kind gesture. He smiled a little and then shook his head. "How the hell did the two of us create a kid so sweet?"

"Genetics has very little to do with it. My mother has raised Nadia to be kind and compassionate." She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Besides, our daughter is incredibly fond of you already. I suppose I knew that she would be. You have always been good with children."

"You don't have to sound so happy about it," he quipped.

Katherine just glared at him.

"What is it now?" he asked.

Katherine sighed and said, "It is nothing."

"I am not in the mood to play twenty questions with you, Katherine. Not today. What is wrong with you?"

She snapped. "It isn't as if you care about me."

Damon sighed heavily and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling in frustration. "I do not have time for this, Katherine. What is your problem? Did I not give you enough money this month? Do you want a larger allowance?"

"Of course you would think this is about money," she replied with a small shake of her head. "I didn't sign up for this."

"What didn't you sign up for?" he asked puzzled.

Katherine fiddled with her bracelet. Damon had given her the ten-carat diamond tennis bracelet for her birthday. "I agreed to be your mistress. That relationship has evolved over the years and I have made due with the limited affection I receive. I never wanted Nadia to be part of this."

Damon walked over to the bed and sat beside her. "I will never neglect Nadia, Katherine."

"That's not what I am worried about. She has barely known you for two weeks. Already she loves you, Damon. Nadia insisted that I pack an overnight bag for her. She wants to spend tonight at the Manor."

Damon was surprised that Nadia wanted to stay the night again. He was undeniably happy about that development but it was not a good time for him. Damon would be busy well into the early morning. There would be little time to spend with her. However, he was not going to tell Nadia that she could not sleep over. Damon was eager to build a relationship with his daughter.

"I am not sure that I understand the problem," he confessed.

"Of course you wouldn't understand the problem. You have not said as much but it is obvious that I am losing you. I am sure it is only a matter of time before you relegate me to the status of well-compensated 'Baby Mama'. Nadia is going to want to stay with you more often. There is no way I can compete with you. She thinks that fortress you live in is a castle. Nadia is excited about having such a big family now. I am going to be alone," she lamented softly.

The mobster stared at Katherine for several seconds because this was not what he expected. He wanted to believe that she was trying to manipulate him but her fears seemed genuine. Damon sighed and took her hand into his. "I am not going to take Nadia away from you, Katherine. We both know that my schedule doesn't permit me to be a full-time parent. I am not even demanding that sort of agreement from Bonnie."

Katherine looked at where their hands were joined. Then she looked into his eyes. "Really?"

"I love Nadia. I plan to be a very big part of her life, but that doesn't mean taking her away from you. You and your mother have raised her well up to this point. I am not trying to change that. I just want to give Nadia everything she deserves. If it makes you feel better, we can put it all in writing."

The brunette beauty's shoulders slumped in relief. She asked, "What about us?"

Damon licked his lips and said, "That is more complicated. I love you, Katherine. But my relationship with Bonnie has to take precedence. In a perfect world, I would get to have you both. You really shot yourself in the foot by antagonizing her all these years. Bonnie has been giving me little tidbits about how you went to great lengths to tell her about us. I have to say, introducing yourself to my wife while we were still newlyweds took some balls."

Katherine grew tenser as Damon spoke. She swallowed nervously because she didn't know what to expect from him. Ultimately, she decided that lying was pointless. "In hindsight, I realize how stupid it was of me. I was just jealous once I realized you had real feelings for her. I figured if Bonnie knew the truth that she would divorce you. I underestimated her resolve."

"You're not the only one," Damon replied with a shake of his head.

She said, "I know that you probably won't believe me, but you need to be careful around her, Damon. She's not the person that you think she is."

He studied her for a moment and said, "Oh, I have learned that lesson frequently as of late. My sweet little bunny is a simmering pot of rage and has been for quite some time. Under different circumstances, she would probably have me whacked. You would think that would make me love her less but it doesn't."

Katherine was surprised by his revelation. She had not expected Bonnie to end her charade so quickly. The girl had seemed determined to run the long con. It made her wonder what had happened between them. Enzo was being annoyingly tight-lipped about the situation. Katherine was unsure if he was withholding information or if he was simply out of the loop. Her only concern was upholding her end of the bargain she made with Bonnie.

She said, "Well, you aren't the only person that she wants dead."

Damon lifted an eyebrow and then frowned. "Did Bonnie threaten you?"

Katherine nodded.

He tensed visibly. Damon wondered if he had done something to provoke his wife. Her warning during their counseling session had been heard loud and clear. He asked, "When did this happen?"

"My partnership with Bonnie wasn't exactly voluntary. She laid down some stringent ground rules about what she expected going forward. Bonnie promised to make me disappear if I disobeyed those rules. I believe her."

This new information added new color and depth to what he already knew. Damon's thoughts went back to the day Bonnie confronted him in the conservatory with Katherine as the surprise guest. He asked, "What were those rules?"

"Most of the rules were fairly obvious. Bonnie wanted me to stop taunting her with messages and pictures. She also wanted me to show more discretion in regards to the affair. She didn't want anyone in the outside world knowing that we were together still. She also demanded that the threesomes with my friends end. I assumed it was a direct reference to what we got up to during your stop in Tenerife. She was pretty incensed about that particular tryst."

It was obvious to Damon that the Lockwood brothers had passed that information to Bonnie. Their spying was not limited to business matters. At least he could instruct Enzo to end his investigation of the employees at his favorite hotels. Mason and Brady were high enough in his organization to receive real time updates on Damon's position at all times. No one would have batted an eyelash at one of the brothers inquiring after his whereabouts. He had to give it to Bonnie for covering all her bases so effortlessly. He wanted to be angry with her for the manipulation. However, all he felt was an overwhelming sense of guilt. Damon knew now that Bonnie had an accurate account of his many extramarital relationships. He did not want to imagine how much it had her hurt. Damon had bedded dozens of women since marrying Bonnie. All the women had been unimportant to him but it was probably heartbreaking for her.

Damon cleared his throat and said, "I won't let anything happen to you, Katherine."

She looked at him with uncertainty. Damon had allowed a girl ten years his junior to pull the wool over his eyes for years. She did not have much faith in him where Bonnie was concerned.

He squeezed her hand. "I mean it. Nadia doesn't deserve to lose her mother because I'm an asshole."

It was not exactly a declaration of his undying love but it was better than indifference. "Thank you."

"You are the mother of my daughter. It means you are part of my family now. It is my job to protect you."

"Is that supposed to be a selling point?"

He huffed out a laugh and said, "There are some perks to being a Salvatore."

"What does this mean for us, Damon?" she asked again.

"If I am being honest, I am still trying to figure out some things. The relationship we have is going to have to change. I can't lose Bonnie. I know this isn't what you want to hear but my heart belongs to her. It always has."

Katherine rolled her eyes because that was an answer all in itself. However, she decided to test the waters. She asked, "Does this mean that I can start seeing other people?"

Damon didn't show any outward emotion. He asked, "Is that what you want to do?"

She bit back a mischievous smile. Damon's question would seem benign to those unfamiliar with him. However, Katherine was well versed in his little idiosyncrasies. She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe…"

He had spoken honestly to Bonnie last night about the complications with Katherine. It would have been much easier banishing the woman from his life four years ago. However, his feelings for her ran deeper than he liked to admit. Moreover, she was the mother of his oldest child. Katherine was not going anywhere, but he was unsure of her role in his life going forward. If push came to shove, he could lop her off like a gangrenous appendage. Damon had offered to kill Katherine out of desperation but Bonnie had turned him down. Nevertheless, his offer hand been genuine in the heat of the moment. Unfortunately, their problems were about much more than his long-time mistress. She was merely a symptom, not the disease. Bonnie knew that and Damon did, too.

"No," he said coldly. Damon stood from the bed and walked out of the room.

Katherine bit back a laugh and followed him into the living room. "You are being unreasonable, Damon. You won't spend time with me because you are trying win back your wife. Am I supposed to spend my life as a spinster? I have needs!"

"It's only been a few weeks get a fucking vibrator," he snapped.

"I have several but it isn't just your cock that I miss, Damon! I am not just some latex sex doll that you can put on the shelf until you need me again. I need love and affection like any other human being."

Damon advanced on Katherine so fast that she stumbled into a wall. He stared down at for several tense moments. He wrapped a hand around her throat. "You are trying to provoke me. You want me to be rough with you because you know where that always leads."

"Maybe but I am speaking the truth and you know it. You might be willing to live a lie and deny your true self but I am not. You love your precious Bunny but she has never done it for you in the bedroom. Are you going to ask little Miss-I-Never-Miss-Mass to deep throat you?" Katherine asked while cupping his crotch. Damon's hand around her throat was always foreplay.

He scowled at Katherine and tightened his hold on her throat. The last time Damon had sex was during the trip in Tenerife. He could not remember the last time he had gone that long without sex. Burying himself inside Katherine would be so satisfying right now.

She laughed melodically. "Do you think she is going to like being choked while you are balls deep inside of her? Do you think she enjoys being spanked the way that I do? You can definitely forget about threesomes. Are you ready to spend the rest of your life fucking the little missus in missionary position?"

Damon heard Nadia talking from the hallway. He released Katherine and moved over to the windows before the door opened.

Nadia's eyes lit up when she saw Damon. She dashed across the room and hugged him. "Hi. I'm sorry you are sad that your daddy died."

Rada closed the door and tutted at her granddaughter's lack of tact. Her dark eyes moved to her daughter and noticed that she seemed out of sorts. The older woman scowled deeply as she removed her coat. Rada was not a fan of Damon's line of work. She had warned her daughter not to get involved with him but Katherine had always been headstrong.

Rada's pleas for her daughter to end the affair fell on deaf ears. Katherine frequently reminded her that Damon paid for their extravagant lifestyle. Rada did not care for material things. However, she appreciated Katherine paying for her younger daughter to go to college. She also liked being retired. Her knees were shot from years of cleaning rich people's houses. Yet it was her time as a maid that had informed her opinion on people like Damon.

Rada only wished that Katherine could see the hopelessness of her situation. She had despised her father's controlling ways. Yet she gave Damon the same power over her without the benefit of marriage. Rada did not understand and Katherine rarely spoke openly and honestly. Sometimes Rada wished that she had not been so vocal about her disapproval. Perhaps Katherine would feel comfortable sharing with her now. Rada only knew that something major had changed in Katherine and Damon's relationship. It had left her daughter depressed, angry, and most worryingly afraid.

Damon was still shaken by his conversation with Katherine but he managed a smile for his daughter. Damon smoothed a hand over her pin straight brown hair and said, "Well, seeing you is making me feel much better."

"Really?" she asked happily.

"Yes," he promised.

Nadia held up a bag. "I bought a card for you and some flowers for your daddy."

Damon took the bag from Nadia and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you very much. That was a really thoughtful thing to do."

"You're welcome," she said.

He smiled. "Well, we are running a little late. We should get going."

Nadia nodded and then ran over to Katherine. She hugged her waist and said, "I'll see you later, Mommy."

Katherine hugged her daughter. "Be good for your father, Sunshine. And call me tonight before bedtime. Okay?"

"Okay." She ran across the room to Rada and hugged her. She reverted to French when speaking to her grandmother. "Au revoir, grand-mere."

Rada cradled the girl's smiling face in her hands and replied, "Au revoir, mon petit."

Katherine picked up Nadia's overnight bag and handed it to Damon. She whispered, "We should continue our conversation later. That is if you're not afraid of the answers."

Damon stiffened in response and walked by her. "Let's go, sweetheart. The car is waiting for us downstairs."

Nadia took left her grandmother's side and gave one last wave before leaving with Damon.

Rada stood in the doorway until Nadia and Damon disappeared into the elevator. Afterwards, she closed the door and turned to look at her daughter. "It looks as if you are feeling better."

Katherine walked into the bedroom to retrieve her glass of vodka. She sat on the bed and finished her drink.

Rada followed her daughter into the room. She implored, "Katerina…"

"You are right. I am in a better mood. Please, do not ruin it, Mama."

"I worry for you. You are tangled with very dangerous people. I do not want to see you hurt or worse. We should go home and leave this madness behind."

She sighed deeply. "I am never going back to Boston."

Rada shook her head. "I am not talking about Boston."

Katherine stared at her mother in disbelief. "I am not taking my daughter to Mizia. Besides, Damon is like a wild dog. If I run, he will give chase. Trust me, running away with our daughter will only make this situation worse."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet but it isn't for you to worry about. I started taking care of you when I was sixteen-years-old. Have I ever let you down? Have you ever wanted for anything in all this time?"

Rada stood up and said, "These things mean nothing to me, Katerina."

"Damon doesn't just provide this nice penthouse. How do you think I afford your health insurance? When you had pneumonia last year, he is the one that paid for your hospital stay. I can afford to send Veronika to school because he pays for that, too."

The older woman sat down once more. "Veronika is nearly done with school. I could start working again. We would get by."

"I am not interested in just getting by, Mama," Katherine snapped.

A horrible realization settled over the woman. "You told me that this relationship was a business arrangement but you love him."

"Dostatuchno, Mama!"

"No, it is not enough. You foolish girl. You have fallen in love with a man that will never leave his wife!"

Katherine said, "I don't need Damon to leave his wife. She's already left him. They don't even live in the same house any longer. I just have to find a way to make sure she doesn't take him back."

Rada gave her daughter a doubtful look. "How do you plan to do that?"

"I don't know yet…"


	57. The Mother

Damon glanced at his watch with a scowl. Giuseppe's memorial would begin soon and Bonnie had not arrived yet. He knew that she hated his father with every fiber of her being. Damon certainly did not object to her feelings considering what Giuseppe did to her. Nevertheless, skipping the memorial was absolutely out of the question. As he expected, the press had set up shop across the street from the church. The assembled media members would notice Bonnie's absence. The story would undoubtedly become the headline for countless newspapers across the country. However, the online sites and social media users would be the most worrisome. They could post content without fear of Damon suing them for libel.

He looked beside him where Nadia and Victor were sitting side by side. They were playing some game on a tablet. He was glad that they were distracted because he was certainly bored out of his mind. Although, sitting on the uncomfortable wooden pew was preferable to the thirty-minute period he had spent greeting people offering him their condolences. The church could seat nearly 1,100 people and it was nearing capacity. Family members and business associates from all over the world had made the trip to Los Angeles for Giuseppe's memorial. Damon wondered how many of the attendees were only present to ensure the bastard was truly dead. He had certainly taken great pleasure in watching as his father's body was loaded into an industrial furnace at the crematorium. Damon achieved a certain peace knowing that his personal boogeyman was no more.

He looked across the aisle at Elijah. Damon would be sitting down with the head of the Mikaelson organization tomorrow evening. There was much to discuss now that he was officially the head of the Salvatore family. More importantly, Elijah wanted to settle any lingering bad blood between Klaus and Damon. He still planned to make his younger brother his second in command. The fracas that occurred at Klaus' club could not happen again. The men would have to put their differences aside for the good of business. However, Elijah promised Damon that he had reined in his younger brother.

The frustrated mob boss was tempted to call Bonnie. Damon was only showing restraint because Abby and her children had arrived ten minutes ago. She quietly assured him that Bonnie's plans had not changed. The young woman was running late because of some family issues. Damon had waited for Abby to elaborate on the issues but she had merely walked back a few pews to join the rest of her family. He was still getting used to being on the outside of Bonnie's life. He only had a right to know what she deigned to tell him. Frankly, that had always been their arrangement but Damon had not known it. He sorely missed the time when he believed he knew Bonnie like a book that he had read from cover to cover. His wife was less a book and more a codex that he needed to decipher.

Damon looked at the pew behind him where Ric and Zach were seated with their respective families. Well, in Ric's case he was seated with Jo and their twin daughters. Lizzie and Josie were seated on either side of their father. Both girls were clutching one of his hands. Their eyes were red and puffy as if they had been crying. Damon was oddly grateful that he had killed Giuseppe before his younger cousins had a reason to hate their uncle. Josie and Lizzie had never experienced or witnessed their uncle's cruelty. Damon only wished that Sarah had been afforded the same mercy. Part of him hoped that she would repress the memory over time.

Stefan reached over and tapped Damon on the shoulder. He whispered, "Bonnie is here."

Damon watched as Stefan put away his phone. He wondered if Tyler had given him the heads up. He was the only Lockwood not currently seated somewhere in the church.

It had been strange greeting the Lockwood family as they arrived earlier. The interaction was respectful but tense and stilted. Damon still had trouble wrapping his mind around the Lockwood family's betrayal. They had spent decades pretending to serve a family that they would sooner see dead by their own hands. The kind of loyalty they showed to the Benedetto family was hard to find these days. He wondered if the sudden deaths of Alonzo and Paul had further bonded the families together. Pain and grief could be great unifiers. However, the mob boss thought it was more likely that the mutual hatred of his family had bound them together.

Damon allowed himself to relax now that he knew Bonnie had arrived. Honestly, he wanted her there for more than simple appearances. He needed her to anchor him. It was the first thing that had gone as planned today. He was still regretting the decision to pick up Nadia personally. In hindsight, he should have sent one of his bodyguards up to the penthouse to retrieve her. Spending time with Katherine had done a number on his head. It was clearer than ever that he needed to limit his exposure to his mistress. Damon lacked willpower when it came to Katherine. She was as noxious and addictive to him as alcohol and cocaine were. Rose had told him as much for years. He had always been too stubborn to heed her words.

However, Katherine was booted from his mind the moment Bonnie came into view. He could not believe how beautiful she looked. Bonnie's faux goddess locs had been styled into a regal bun atop her head. She was wearing a black Chanel dress with three quarter length sleeves. The gorgeous dress stopped just above her knees so that her toned legs were on display. The dress was made with lace that had an intricate pattern. A solid black underlining kept the dress from being see-through. However, the lining stopped at a point where the top of Bonnie's cleavage and her arms were visible. She was carrying a red patent leather clutch that matched the Christian Louboutin heels on her dainty feet.

Bonnie held Sarah's hand as they walked to the front of the church to join Damon. She was not thrilled about sitting beside him for the service. However, she was never one to shirk her duty. They were still business partners. It was imperative that she and Damon maintained the appearance of unity. Any perceived weakness in the partnership would attract the attention of their enemies.

Tyler gave Bonnie a supportive smile before he took a seat with his family. They were seated several rows back with the Benedetto family. However, he glared when he saw Klaus seated across the aisle. He did not like the way the man was looking at Bonnie. Tyler knew his irritation partly stemmed from the meeting he had just left with Rudy. They had reviewed the details for Saturday night's raid on Niklaus' club. Specifically, they discussed how Bonnie and Tyler would get him out before the feds could arrest him.

Damon stood when Bonnie and Sarah arrived at his pew. He watched as his wife and daughter genuflected to the tabernacle before sliding past him. Damon kissed Bonnie's cheek. He whispered, "Thank you for being here today, Bunny."

"You don't need to thank me," she replied softly.

Caroline discreetly waved at her sister-in-law from further down the pew. She was holding her youngest child on her lap. They had only spoken over the phone since Bonnie moved in with Abby. She did not understand why she was being punished because Damon was an asshole.

Bonnie offered a smile to Stefan and Caroline. She had missed them since leaving the manor. Bonnie was still figuring out how to maintain a relationship with people so firmly under Damon's thumb. She did not want to put her brother and sister-in-law in the position of being grilled by Damon for information. She took the seat beside her husband and then helped Sarah take off her jacket.

The little girl was wearing a sleeveless black satin dress with pearl appliqué. A blue headband that matched her eyes held her curly black hair back. Sarah waved sadly at her father as she sat between Bonnie and Nadia. She whispered, "Hi, Papa."

Damon wished that his daughters and younger brother did not have to participate in this farce. It was not fair that they had to confront mortality at such a young age. Especially, when Giuseppe was so unworthy of their sadness. He leaned over Bonnie so that he could drop a kiss atop Sarah's head. He replied, "Hi, bambolina."

Bonnie rubbed at her stomach hoping that the twins would settle. Their hyperactivity made the young mother even more tired.

"Are you feeling okay?" Damon asked when he noticed the placement of her hand.

She nodded. "I'm fine. The babies are just really active right now."

Damon knew that Cole seemed confident that Bonnie would be fine after a good night's rest. However, he was not really in the frame of mind to trust anything a Lockwood told him. He asked, "Should I be concerned?"

Bonnie offered a reassuring smile. "It is perfectly normal. I am pretty sure they are just reacting to the order of chili cheese fries with extra jalapenos and sriracha sauce that I wolfed down on my way over here."

He visibly relaxed. Damon asked, "Extra jalapenos?"

She shrugged. "It's the pregnancy cravings. I am sure that I will have heartburn later."

He chuckled.

"Uh, I talked to Dr. Huerta this morning. He wants to see me first thing next week. Will you be available Monday morning?" she asked.

Damon was thrilled that Bonnie was inviting him to the appointment. He said, "I will rearrange my schedule to make time. Just let me know what time I should be there."

"My appointment is at 8 o'clock. I snagged the earliest slot because I hoped you would want to be there," she confessed.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

"I meant what I said last night," she murmured. "I want us to be friendly for the sake of our kids. We can't continue fighting the way we have been. Last night was a wake up call for me."

Damon nodded in agreement. It would take a long time to get the image of Bonnie unconscious out of his mind. He could scarcely remember ever having been as scared as he was in that moment. His mind had been plagued with dozens of worst case scenarios.

Bonnie said, "Sarah's dance classes are going to start back next week. You know the studio went on break for the holiday. She would be over the moon if you came to her next class."

"I'll be there. I can't wait to see our tiny dancer in action." Damon lowered his voice and asked, "Is she any good?"

Bonnie laughed softly. "Sarah is in the beginners' class for a reason but she is a fast learner. More importantly, she is enthusiastic. Mama has been working with her on the basics while the studio has been on break. She may grow bored with dancing in a few months. But for now I am going to enjoy this."

Damon thought about the video Bonnie had sent while he was in Tenerife. However, it was not the same as being there in person. He was going to do everything in his power not to miss out on the little things. Damon had always tried to be good father but often work and 'other things' consumed his limited time. Bonnie and Sarah living with Abby made him realize just how precious his time was. His schedule no longer dictated when he could spend time with his family. They were no longer merely sitting at home waiting for him to have free time.

Heavy footsteps could be heard approaching the front of the church.

Bonnie did not bother hiding her scowl when she saw Enzo.

Enzo stopped beside their pew and leaned down to whisper in Damon's ear. "Your mother is outside. She was threatening to make a scene in front of the cameras. We had to let her into the church. The parish secretary helped me get Lilly into an empty office down the hall."

Damon closed his eyes for a second because Lilly was stretching the limits of his patience. Rose had booked a first class ticket for the older woman. She even drove Lilly to the airport and walked her to the gate. All Lilly had to do was wait forty minutes until her flight to Paris boarded. Unfortunately, Rose had not been able to wait with Damon's mother. Her services were needed in coordinating the minutia involved in getting the Manor prepared for the repast. They were anticipating a couple hundred people.

Bonnie placed a hand on Damon's knee and asked, "Is everything okay?"

He kissed her cheek and stood up. He quietly replied, "Everything is fine, bunny. I will be right back."

Zacharias frowned at his nephew because the funeral would begin in a matter of minutes.

Damon motioned for his uncle to remain seated. He did not need Zach losing his shit in the middle of a church with several hundred witnesses. He followed Enzo down a nearly vacant corridor.

Enzo opened the door and said, "I'll make sure that you aren't disturbed."

"Thank you."

Enzo closed the door to give the mother and son some privacy. He did not imagine that the two would have a pleasant conversation. Enzo had been friends with the mob boss long enough to know how much he hated his mother. Sometimes it seemed as if he hated Lilly more than he hated Giuseppe.

Damon glared at Lilly's attire. She was dressed up like freaking Jackie O. He was sure that the vultures outside would eat up the grieving widow angle. The decades' long estrangement would only make the stories juicier. Damon had a sudden overwhelming urge for a drink. He was tempted to ask Enzo for the flask he kept on him at all times. However, he thought about Bonnie, his daughters, and baby brother. None of them needed to see him completely soused today.

He snarled. "I should have let Uncle Zach whack you last night. This is what I get for being a loving son."

Lilly rose from the chair where she had been waiting for him. She was taking a huge risk by approaching her son during such an emotional day. Furthermore, Damon had made his feelings towards her known last night. She had not expected for his hate for her to burn quite so hot. However, Lilly did not know if she would ever have another chance to reach out to her children. The stars had aligned in this moment. The boys needed Lilly even if neither was ready to admit it. Giuseppe was dead. Damon's marriage was on the rocks. Stefan was finally looking at his uncles without rose colored glasses.

She nervously smoothed her hands over the navy blue designer dress. She swore, "I am not here to cause any trouble, Damon. I would not do that to you or Stefan."

"You could have fooled me," he spat angrily. "Why are you here, Lilly? It isn't as if you are desperate to say goodbye to Giuseppe. I am sure that you are thrilled that he is dead."

Lilly would not shed a tear over Giuseppe's death. However, she was not celebrating the occasion. While Giuseppe had never fallen in love with his wife, the same was not true for her. The couple had a few good years in the very beginning of their marriage. Giuseppe had been thrilled when Lilly gave birth to a son. He had hoped that producing an heir would satisfy Domenico. He was wrong. Over time, the bitterness Giuseppe felt towards his father turned into hatred for his wife.

"I tried to explain myself last night but no one was in the right frame of mind to listen. I should not have showed up to your home unannounced. It was wrong and disrespectful. I just wanted an opportunity to support you and Stefan. For better or worse, Giuseppe is the parent that raised the two of you. I know that losing him can't be easy for either of you."

Damon did not believe a word out off Lilly's mouth. He felt certain that she was working some kind of angle. Yet, there was part of him that hoped she was being sincere for Stefan's sake. He knew how much his younger brother wanted a relationship with Lilly.

He snorted, "I don't need or want you anywhere near me. And I am sure that Stefan would prefer that you continue breathing. You won't be doing that for long if Uncle Zach finds out that you had the audacity to show up here."

Lilly took a tentative step toward her son and watched as he backed away from her. She said, "Ric explained why Zach was so angry with me. I promise that I wasn't trying to manipulate Stefan. I would never intentionally try to hurt either of you, Damon. I only told Stefan that his nightmares were real because I didn't want to lie to him. Stefan was finally giving me a chance to be his mother. I couldn't do that with lies between us."

He rolled his eyes because Alaric had disappeared for hours last night. His uncle had returned claiming that he had a meaningful conversation with Lilly. He felt certain that any misunderstandings between them had been resolved. Damon just hoped that whatever Alaric and Lilly used to have was dead. They had enough drama without the two of them striking up whatever sideshow affair they once shared.

"When do you plan to tell him that Ric could be his father?" he asked in a biting tone.

Lilly looked down at the floor for a moment. She wished that Alaric would have kept the details of their affair a secret. She could practically see the disgust on her son's handsome face. Lilly could not fault Damon for his reaction. She knew that carrying on with Alaric had been wrong. The affair was made worse by their carelessness where contraceptives were concerned.

She spluttered, "I…"

"…are full of shit," Damon finished for her. "I don't have all day. If you have something to say then you need to spit it out, Lilly."

Lilly needed to find a way to do some damage control but now was not the time. She said, "Just let me stay in town for a few days. I want an opportunity to see my grandchildren. They have already lost one grandparent. Don't make them lose another by exiling me the way Giuseppe did. You are the boss now. You could stop Zach from retaliating against me."

Damon hated his mother but he knew that Stefan cared for her. Stefan longed for the mother he never knew. Lilly and Zacharias had put him in an untenable position.

He scrubbed a hand over his face and barked, "You can stay for the funeral but find somewhere to sit in the back of the church. You are not welcome at the Manor under any circumstances. That house has been Zach's home for the entirety of his life. I will not ask him to compromise his beliefs in his own home. Stefan and Caroline will have to take the kids to meet you at the hotel."

Lilly sighed in relief when Damon seemed to relent. She was certain that with time he would soften towards her. It was easier to hate someone that he did not know.

She asked, "What about Sarah and Nadia? I would love to meet them, too. Stefan has been telling me about them."

He chuckled coldly. "You will never get to know either of my daughters. I have no interest in playing happy families with you. My girls both have amazing maternal grandmothers and that is good enough."

"You are just going to ignore half of your family tree?" she asked incredulously.

"My tree is rotted. The best thing I can do for my children is to prune the diseased portions of my tree and pray that it doesn't spread," he declared in a heated voice.

It hurt to hear Damon speak of her that way. She asked, "How can you call me diseased when you don't even know me, Damon?"

"I know enough about you. I am old enough to remember exactly who you are _**Mommy Dearest**_ ," he countered darkly.

She shook her head and insisted, "No, you knew a woman stuck in an abusive marriage that wasn't properly medicated. I know that I should have done more to protect you and Stefan. I know that I failed you both but I wasn't well. I couldn't have taken care of you boys in that state. Do you know how long I stayed in a psychiatric hospital after I divorced Giuseppe?"

He just stared blankly at his mother. Damon did not know that Lilly had spent time in a psychiatric hospital. A small part of him wanted to know more about his mother's medical history. He wondered if there were any diseases or disorders that Giuseppe had neglected to disclose. Damon only knew about Lilly having bipolar because of his uncles.

Lilly decided to take advantage of her son's silence. She would take any opportunity to educate Damon about her life. He only had had a child's memory of events. She explained, "A year, Damon. I voluntarily stayed in a psychiatric hospital for an entire year because I was afraid that I would take my own life. I needed intensive therapy even after I left the hospital. I still suffer from PTSD that further complicates my bipolar diagnosis. It took me years to get my life back together."

Damon closed his eyes for a moment. He was starting to get a headache. He argued, "I understand that you suffered. If there were true justice in the world, someone would have killed that son of a bitch years ago. None of that excuses you for leaving your kids with a monster. The shit we went through clings to us like a second skin."

Lilly reached up and cradled his face in her hands. "But you both turned out so good. Look at you. You are both successful men with good families."

He shrugged off Lilly's hands. Damon barked out a harsh laugh. "Are you joking? Stefan nearly shot Ric in the face and proceeded to have a meltdown about it. His shrink has him on meds for anxiety now. I am a functional alcoholic that is incapable of maintaining healthy relationships with women."

The older woman stared at her son in shock. Lilly could not find the right words to say. Moreover, she was terrified that Damon would reject or misinterpret anything she said.

"I can't do this with you right now. I can't be the reason that the memorial starts late. Stay out of Zach's way. There are limits on what I can do to protect you from him. Zach could make you disappear without a trace. I could reprimand him afterwards but it wouldn't change the fact that you would be dead. You have good survival instincts. Use them now," Damon declared in a rough voice.

Lilly breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Damon. You won't regret giving me a chance."

He walked out of the room without looking at her. He stopped beside Enzo and said, "Keep an eye on her at all times."

"I'm on it, Damon. I will be her shadow."

Damon nodded at his friend and then returned to his seat just as the altar boys entered the sanctuary. He took a deep breath and tried to shake off the unsettling encounter.

Bonnie was concerned when she saw the hollow look in Damon's eyes. She wondered what could have had that effect on him. He seemed perfectly fine before Enzo spirited him away. She discreetly glanced around the church and found all the major players still in their seats. It seemed unlikely that there was some threat looming over the church. She decided to talk Damon about it later. Bonnie hesitated for a second before reaching over and taking his hand.

He looked down at their joined hands and then up at Bonnie's face. Damon squeezed her hand appreciatively and then placed a feather light kiss across her knuckles. She always had the ability to make him feel steady in rough seas.

She gently squeezed his hand and then looked towards the front of the church as Father Finn entered the room.

The choir stood and began singing the hymn _Loved One, Farewell_.


	58. The Wife

The memorial service seemed to drag on forever. Damon would never understand why funerals seemed to last so much longer than a standard Mass did. However, he immediately regretted his impatience after returning to the Manor. Well meaning family members besieged Damon at the house. They wanted to reminisce about Giuseppe before the other guests arrived for the repast. Damon's teeth were set on edge listening to the wistful stories about his father. Even Ric and Zach joined with stories of their own. Having an older father meant that Giuseppe had played a large role in their lives long before he killed Domenico. He was the one that taught his brothers how to ride bikes. Ric told a particularly hilarious tale about Zach puking all over Giuseppe during a trip to Disneyland. It was harder to ignore Giuseppe's humanity in those moments.

Damon knew eventually that his family would expect him to share some cheerful memory about his father. He sat there wracking his brain for something a normal son would say about his father. However, the memories that immediately came to mind were always cruel or painful. Damon knew there had to be some good buried deep underneath all the bad. The bad memories were just so plentiful and overwhelming. Damon noticed that Alaric was looking at him with concern but he also saw guilt. It was apparent that the younger man's vicious words from last night were still weighing on his uncle. In truth, the comments had been spontaneous. He rarely brought up the ways in which his uncles had wronged him. Dredging up the past would only weaken his relationship with them.

The mob boss felt frustrated that he even had to participate in this farce. He would prefer to spend the evening with Bonnie. She was actually under his roof for at least the next few hours. He could think of a dozen things that he wanted to say to her away from the blistering opinions of her family, allies, and paramour. Damon wanted to capitalize on today's detente. He felt that they had made real progress last night at the beach house. That progress had spilled over into today. Bonnie had held his hand for the entirety of the memorial service. It would seem a small gesture for some but it was big for a couple that argued whenever they had the misfortune of crossing paths.

Despite their estrangement, Bonnie had dutifully returned to the Salvatore Manor after the church service. She was working with Caroline and Rose to ensure the repast went off without a hitch. The many moving parts made the task difficult. Therefore, the three women had divided the major responsibilities between them. The women were operating in a purely supervisory capacity. They had final say if any problems arose. Otherwise, the staff would have to bother Damon or Stefan with mundane questions. A large staff was required to maintain an estate the size of the Salvatore Manor. However, they doubled the staff to accommodate the many guests that would be arriving within the hour.

A brunette man in his 30's approached Damon with a serious expression on his face. He had a chiseled jaw and steely blue eyes. The jagged scar beneath his left eye was prominent but somehow did not detract from his attractiveness. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

He nodded at the man. "It is good seeing you, Angelo."

Angelo unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat beside his cousin. He was Bruno's eldest grandson. He said, "I wish it was under better circumstances."

"You and me both," Damon replied with what he hoped was the appropriate level of solemnity. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I was wondering what I could do for you. Nonno spoke to me this morning about strengthening our connection with the Gilbert family. I understand that Grayson's daughter will be here today."

Damon was glad to see that Zacharias followed his directions despite having some reservations. They were still learning how to navigate the dual roles of uncle/nephew and boss/subordinate. "Nothing is set in stone, you understand. I just wanted to have a viable candidate before I sit down with Grayson."

The man nodded. "I am currently unattached. I have also been looking for a reason to move back to California."

He chuckled. "Is Denver not to your liking?"

Giuseppe had placed Angelo in the regional manager position for Velocita a few years ago. He was good at his job. However, it also served as a cover. Giuseppe was interested in expanding his business eastward.

Angelo snorted. "I am freezing my balls off out there."

"Well, you would definitely be able to come home if this comes to fruition. I want you to seek the girl out tonight and talk to her."

"Does she know that an arranged marriage might be in the offing?" Angelo asked.

Damon said, "Not yet."

"Then I will keep that detail to myself when I chat her up. What's she like?"

"I couldn't tell you much about her, but you could talk to Stefan. They are the same age. They used to socialize in similar circles. I do know that she is in medical school," he replied.

Angelo nodded. "How does she look?"

Damon chuckled and said, "She isn't ugly."

He smiled. "Just checking. Is there anything else you want to come from my conversation with her?"

The mobs boss considered saying 'no', but he just could not help himself. He said, "She recently got out of a relationship. Just make sure that it is truly over between them."

Angelo thought that was a curious thing for Damon to say. They both grew up with the old ways. Once a marriage was arranged, you had to let go of the past. However, he did not want to question the new boss. "I will find you later and let you know what I find out."

"Good. You should pull Stefan aside now to ask him about Elena."

Angelo stood up and said, "We should get drinks while I am still in town. I feel like we need to catch up."

"Tomorrow night?" Damon asked. "You can join me for the meeting with Elijah afterwards."

He smiled. "Okay."

Damon wanted to test the waters with his cousin. Angelo was a year younger than Damon was but he had a good head on his shoulders. He needed to find someone to take Mason's place in the organization. For years, the Lockwood traitor had been training as Alaric's heir apparent. Damon assumed that Sheila had somehow facilitated Mason's rise in the family. She had spent years ensuring that the Lockwoods became indispensable to his family. Losing them to the Benedetto family would leave some very large gaps in the Salvatore organization. Damon wanted to fill those voids with his own blood. He did not know if anyone else was trustworthy. He was not foolish enough to believe that the Lockwoods were the only traitors within their ranks but it would take time to find them. In the meantime, he planned to reach out to the Donovan family as well. They were somewhat distant relatives but close enough that Giuseppe had warned him away from sleeping with Vicki.

Damon felt his phone vibrate in his jacket pocket. He pulled it out and smiled when he saw new a message from Bonnie. Damon definitely wanted to spend time with her before the meeting later. He could not guarantee that either of them would be feeling cordial afterwards. Moreover, they would spend much of the meeting controlling their respective family members. Damon was seriously considering leaving Alaric out of the meeting since their uncles, Bruno and Giacomo, would be joining him. He did not need Ric and Big John's bad blood spilling over into the meeting. Just yesterday the two men looked as if they wanted to kill one another.

 **Bonnie: Do you have time to meet me in your office?**

 **Damon: Sure. When?**

 **Bonnie: Now.**

 **Damon: Be there in a minute.**

Damon stood up and said, "I have to check on my lovely wife but I will be back soon."

"Bring her back with you!" insisted one of his older cousins.

He smiled. "I will see what I can do."

Damon made his way to his office. He smiled when he saw Bonnie standing in the corridor with a bowl. He could see the steam rising from the food. He said, "I have to say that I am not hungry right now, Bunny."

Bonnie looked down at the bowl of ribollita. She smiled and said, "Good, because this isn't for you. I am pregnant and very hungry. Fortunately, I have been able to sample most of the food as it is made."

He unlocked his office door with a sheepish smile. He motioned for Bonnie to go inside. "I am glad to see that you are truly feeling better today. You scared me yesterday."

"I scared myself. However, I feel much better today. It is surprising what a good night's rest can do for an overtired pregnant woman," she replied.

Bonnie entered the office and turned on the lights. She made her way over to the couch and sat down. Then Bonnie kicked off her heels and relaxed against the cool leather upholstery.

Damon locked the door and joined Bonnie on the couch. He watched her eat with gusto. Damon tried not to think about the months that she had starved herself to please him. However, that fact had lingered in the back of his mind since Bonnie fainted yesterday. He wondered if most, if not all, of the complications with this pregnancy could be attributed to her relative frailty at the time of conception.

Bonnie ungracefully slurped the soup broth from her spoon. She smiled at him. "I told you that I was hungry."

"I see that…" He asked, "What did you want to talk about? Business?"

She shook her head. "There will be plenty of time for us to talk business later. I wanted to check on you."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Really?"

Bonnie placed her bowl on the table and turned towards Damon. "Something has been wrong with you since the memorial. I know that you are not grieving for your father. You hated Giuseppe even more than I did. I am just worried about you."

Damon sighed deeply. He wondered if Bonnie was the only one that noticed that he was off balance. He hoped everyone else would just attribute it to grief. "It's nothing I can't handle."

"Look, I am not asking because I want to gain some advantage in tonight's negotiation. You have always been savvy. You know exactly what you intend to ask me for tonight." She smiled wryly. "I am probably going to reject your request."

He huffed out a laugh. Sometimes he could not believe how confident Bonnie was. "Is that right?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I've got to extract my pound of flesh to keep my people happy. I can't let them think I am being soft on you because we are married. I hope you understand."

"I do."

"I know that our relationship is in a peculiar place. You would be well within your rights to tell me to mind my own business. And I wouldn't be offended by it. But if something is wrong or if you are hurting in some way, I am here to help. At the end of the day, you are the father of my children."

He interjected stubbornly, "I'm not hurting."

She reached out and touched his hand. Bonnie looked into his striking blue eyes and said, "Okay. Maybe I just have my signals crossed. We'll blame it on pregnancy brain and supervising the kitchen staff."

"I hope that you haven't been overdoing it today," he said in a worried voice.

Bonnie said, "I am fine, Damon. I have been sitting down since I arrived. Caroline even set me up with a cushy spot in the kitchen where I could see everything."

"That's good. Are the twins still moving around?" he asked.

"No, I think they're sleeping again. There really isn't a schedule for when they will be active. Sometimes they keep me up at night with the moving. Other times they seem to sleep when I do," Bonnie replied.

He complained, "I don't blame them for catching a nap. Father Finn took forever to finish Mass."

She laughed softly. "Lucy is right, you are a heathen."

Damon joined her in laughing. He quipped, " _Please_ _allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste._ "

Bonnie rolled her eyes in fond exasperation. She picked up her bowl. "Well, since you are okay. I am going to finish eating this in the kitchen. There were a few desserts that I wanted to sample."

He watched as she prepared to leave. Damon was not ready to let her go—in more ways than one. He said, "My mother showed up at the church this evening."

Bonnie slowly sat back down and asked, "Excuse me?"

He smiled wryly at her response. "She showed up here last night. I tried to get her out of the country but…"

Bonnie nodded and gave him a look of sympathy. She said, "Stefan told me about last night but I had no idea she was at the church today. She has some nerve showing up out of the blue. What does she want?"

"She wanted to stay for the funeral to support us," he said skeptically.

Bonnie was quiet for a moment because she did not know what to say. She knew the depth of Damon's animosity towards his mother. She also knew that animosity stemmed from deep-seated pain. Lilly abandoning Damon hurt him far more than anything Giuseppe ever did to him. She murmured, "That is a nice sentiment…"

"It sounds like bullshit to you, too," he said with a smirk.

"I don't know your mother well enough to speak to her motives, Damon," Bonnie answered in a diplomatic voice.

She was not in a position to judge anyone for having an agenda. Bonnie was still utilizing the moles in the Salvatore organization to her advantage. She planned to manipulate Damon into doing what she wanted. Furthermore, Bonnie was working to unseat him as the CEO of Velocita. Damon still owed a debt for humiliating her at Klaus' club. However, her own duplicity did not mean that she would stand idly by while Lilly sank her fangs into him. That woman had the power to destroy Damon. Bonnie needed him whole, focused, and at the helm of the Salvatore organization for years to come. He was acting as steward for what would become their son's legacy.

He sank deeper into the leather couch and said, "Unfortunately, I have the same problem. Lilly is a stranger to me and I don't have a single reason to trust her. She wants to be part of our lives again."

Bonnie moved closer to Damon. "What do you want?"

"I can't speak for Stefan but I don't want that woman anywhere near me or my children. I told her as much at the church. I must sound like such an asshole to you."

"Why would you say that?" she asked.

"You have been spending time with your parents…repairing what is broken. I am sure my unwillingness to forgive isn't very Christianly."

Bonnie shook her head. "My situation and yours couldn't be more different, Damon. My parents left me with my grandmother. She loved and protected me to the best of her ability. Grams never once raised her hand to me in anger. Anyway, I didn't start out with the goal of repairing my relationship with my parents. They were merely means to an end."

Damon knew that Bonnie had a point. Their situations were not exactly comparable. However, her last statement piqued his interest. "A means to an end?"

"I only reached out to my mother because I needed information. I asked her to use whatever methods necessary to get Ric in a chatty mood," she explained.

He chuckled with raised eyebrows. "You pimped out your mother?"

She shrugged. "I needed to know that you were really planning to kill Giuseppe. I figured that Alaric would be the best source of information. I was right. Besides, she was already sleeping with your uncle. It's not as if I asked her to sleep with some random guy off the street."

"Still…that is a cold way to treat your mother, Bunny."

Bonnie said, "It is no secret that she was never much of a mother to me. I mean she had been living in the area for months without telling me. It hurt but I was used to my mother disappointing me."

Damon winced because he had known from the beginning that Abby was moving to California to be closer to Ric. However, his uncle had asked him not to share the information with Bonnie. He and Abby were doing their best to keep their affair a secret. Damon thought it was going to be a flaming train wreck and he had been right.

She continued, "However, when she found out what Giuseppe did to me...I saw the genuine pain in her eyes. She was so scared and angry for me. I tried to pay her off for working Ric for information but she refused to take the money. My mom stepping up to help me in that way meant the world to me. She chose me over a man that she loves a great deal. It was the first time I ever felt like I was her top priority. It made giving her a second chance easier for me."

Damon understood her logic on the situation. He did not trust Lilly because she had always put her well-being first. Damon would literally die for his children. He could not understand the rationale of leaving them in a situation where he knew they would suffer abuse of any kind. He had felt the same way about Stefan. As a child, he had the courage to protect his brother. Lilly was an adult and should have been held to a higher standard. "What about your father?"

She decided to tell Damon a version of the truth. "Mama called him because she thought I needed more protection. She felt that I needed someone that would gladly dismember anyone that dared hurt me. I have come to learn that my father is most definitely that person. My parents put aside their differences to protect me."

Damon automatically assumed that Bonnie was talking about his father. He was ashamed that it had taken so long to find Giuseppe. The old man should not have lived passed Thanksgiving after the way he hurt Bonnie. He said, "Yeah, Rudy has quite the reputation. Is he planning on going back to London now that Giuseppe is dead?"

"No, my father does not have a departure date in mind."

Damon was surprised by that. Rudy had a lucrative business in London that required his attention. He asked, "Business or reconnection?"

"Both," she answered honestly. "The point is my father dropped everything and flew out here because I needed him. It doesn't erase the abandonment. I don't think anything could erase the pain he caused me. But I think there is a path forward because I am certain that he loves me."

Damon looked at Bonnie with genuine concern. "Are you having trouble business wise? Are you in danger?"

"It is nothing like that, Damon. I have a minor situation that needs to be rectified. I am not in any danger. I just need my father's expertise."

"Dismembering people?' he asked incredulously.

Her green eyes shined as she laughed heartily. "I know that they call my father the Butcher but that isn't his only skill set. He has connections that I need. That is all that I am going to say about it. We're not here to discuss business. And we will never discuss what I am doing with my business. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I still love you, Damon. And as long as you aren't acting like an asshole, I will always be here for you."

Damon settled down but he was still concerned. He scooted closer to Bonnie so that their legs were touching. "What do you think about Lilly?"

"My opinion doesn't matter in this situation because she isn't my mother. But I think that you should give Lilly enough rope to hang herself. If you don't trust her, then have eyes on her. Give her a bodyguard for her safety, but then have someone else watching her from the shadows. She will be so focused on the visible bodyguard that she might lower her guard. Lilly is not a mastermind. If she has bad intentions, she won't be able to hide them for long."

"Sounds like you are speaking from experience," he replied.

She hummed noncommittally. "Have you thought about calling Dr. Correa? I am sure Lilly showing up unexpectedly has dredged up a lot of stuff for you."

He huffed. "I thought about it…"

"But?"

"I don't mind going in there to work out shit about our relationship. But going in there to complain about my mommy never loving me is out of the question," he grumbled.

Bonnie shook her head. "Because those two things aren't connected? You have spent years filling the hole Lilly left in your heart with drugs, alcohol, and women. Even if you don't strike up a relationship with your mother, you need to address how she and Giuseppe royally fucked you up."

He snorted. "Tell me how you really feel, Bunny."

She blinked. "I'm sorry. I am supposed to be here supporting you."

Damon reached out and cupped her cheek. "It is okay. I actually feel better having talked to you about this. I can't really talk to anyone else. They all have a horse in the race."

Bonnie said, "I get that. I find myself in the same position these days."

Damon was encouraged when Bonnie did not immediately pull away from his touch. "I didn't say this earlier but you look beautiful."

"Oh, thank you," Bonnie said with a small smile.

"Then again, you look amazing every time I see you. It is as if you are trying to make me jealous," he replied in a thick voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. I have wanted a change of pace for quite some time. I needed an opportunity to spread my wings."

"Is that what this is?" he asked curiously.

Bonnie said, "I've been pretending to be someone else for so long. I am just trying to figure who I really am. I need to figure out what I like."

"Being with me really stunted your growth, huh?" he asked.

"It did in some ways. I just wanted to make you happy. I tried mimicking the traits I saw in your mistresses. I thought if I could just capture whatever it was about them that you liked…I know now that I was stupid," Bonnie said softly.

Damon cradled her face in both of his hands. "You weren't stupid. I was blind. I know that you won't believe me but I am really looking forward to getting to know you."

Bonnie laughed softly. "You won't be saying that after I rake you over the coals tonight at the negotiation table."

"When are you going to realize that I would give you the world if you only asked?" he murmured. Damon brushed his lips against Bonnie's.

She pulled out of Damon's grasp and promptly slapped him across the face. "What the fuck, Damon?"

Damon sat back stunned. He could not believe that she actually hit him. "I thought we were having a moment."

Bonnie asked, "And you thought that was a good time to make a move on me?"

"Is it so wrong to hope for some pity sex? My dad died," Damon said with a plaintive expression.

Bonnie stood up. "You're the one that killed him! Asshole! And far too late if you want my opinion on it."

"Why does it matter that I killed him?" he asked. "He is still dead and I am grieving."

"You are unbelievable! If you are horny, call Katherine. My legs are closed to you," Bonnie snapped.

"I don't want to fuck Katherine. I want to make love to you," Damon insisted as he stood up.

"It's not happening, Damon."

"I haven't touched Katherine since my time with her in Tenerife, Bunny," he swore.

She asked, "Why are you torturing yourself? Sleep with her or don't…we are never getting back together."

"I don't believe that, Bonnie."

"Because you are arrogant enough to believe that I couldn't possibly move on from you," she spat angrily.

"It is not arrogance. It is knowing that we have something special that you can't replicate with anyone else. Tyler is convenient but he is never going to be me. Just like Katherine could never be you. She tried to get me into bed this afternoon but I wasn't even tempted."

Bonnie laughed and said, "Yeah right."

"I am being serious, Bonnie. You are the only woman I want and I am going to prove it to you."

"I should go, Damon," she replied in a quiet voice.

"Please, don't leave. I won't bring up the topic of our marriage again. I just want to talk."

"About what?" she asked.

"Anything. I just don't want to think about Lilly for awhile. I can't go out there and be who they need me to be if she is in my head. I have been trying to stay sober today but she makes it impossible. I can't indulge in any of my normal coping mechanisms."

Bonnie did not feel right about leaving Damon if he was truly in need. She had a damnable soft spot for broken men. It was one of the reasons she had prevented Tyler from killing Klaus. She believed there was some goodness in him. She slowly sat down on the couch. "Keep your lips to yourself, Damon Salvatore."

"I will be on my best behavior. I promise…"

"If you try to kiss me again I will stab you," she said.

Damon chuckled.

Bonnie took the switchblade from her bra and flicked it open. "I mean it. The days of men touching me without permission are over."

The amusement left his face as he studied the woman before him. He asked, "When did you start carrying a knife, Bunny?"

"After you father tried to rape," she replied matter-of-factly.

It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room as husband and wife looked at each other.

"I was out of line but…"

She interjected, "There is no way for you to finish that statement without me slapping you again. We are not together. You do not have the right to kiss me or touch me without asking first. Do I need to explain good touch/bad touch to you like a five-year-old?"

It was just a glimpse but he saw it. Damon saw the remnants of the trauma Bonnie had hidden from him and everyone else in her life. He thought back to the argument in his office when he first learned that someone had raped her. He would not soon forget Bonnie's description of him as the drugged up asshole on top of her. "No, it won't happen again. I am having a bad day and I was looking for comfort from you in a way that was completely inappropriate. You are here as my friend. I am sorry for trying to change it into something more."

She slowly relaxed and put the switchblade back into its hiding place. "I want to be friends, Damon. I want us to be able to spend time with our children without fighting. But that means you have to respect my boundaries."

"And I will. Can we try something?" he asked.

"What?"

"Have you ever played twenty questions?" he asked.

She lifted an eyebrow and said, "No one actually plays twenty questions."

Damon smiled at her. "See that is your youth showing, Bunny. Twenty questions is definitely a game. But I was actually talking about the turn of phrase more than the actual game. I think it could be a way for us to break the ice. I think you will admit that there are some glaring blindspots in our relationship."

"I guess. I reserve the right to reject certain questions."

"Fair enough. Do you mind if I start?" he asked.

She shrugged.

"What was your favorite subject in school?"

Bonnie frowned and asked, "Seriously? That is the question you want to ask me?"

"Yes, I am being serious. Come on, Bunny. We have to start somewhere. It would not be smart to start in the deep end of the pool."

"Uh, I guess if I had to pick a subject it would have been history. Grams started me young. She bought these historical books written for children. Sometimes she would just tell me stories about these powerful women. She was a history buff, too. She had all these great stories about Eleanor Roosevelt. Grams used to recite this quote from a book she read...' _Do what you feel in your heart to be right-for you will be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't._ "

Damon watched the way Bonnie's eyes lit up as she recounted the happy memory. He smiled at the quote. "That definitely sounds like Miss Sheila…"

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah. It has sort of become my motto. What about you? I know that you weren't much of a student in school, but you must have liked something."

He said, "Greek mythology."

"Really?"

"I guess that is another thing I can attribute to Lilly. She introduced me to Greek mythology. When I showed an interest, she made sure the tutors included it in the curriculum. I really got into it during the run of Xena Warrior Princess. I loved the show even though I was on Ares' side." He chuckled at her expression. "You have no idea what I am talking about…"

Bonnie smiled. "I can't say that I have ever seen the show but I have heard of it."

Damon shook his head with a wry smile. "You are practically an infant."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Just ask another question."

"Sheila took you all over the world with her. Do you have a favorite place?" he asked.

"It would have to be Milazzo. It is as much home to me as Shadow Hills is. I have missed visiting it these last few years. I am working with Cole and Dr. Huerta to make sure I am healthy enough to visit before the babies are born.I want to see my zias. I can't wait to take Sarah there, too. I want her to run through the halls as I did. I want to show her what's left of our family's oldest surviving fishing boat...Tempesta Feroce."

Damon wished that he loved Milazzo as much as Bonnie did. He had spent many summers there but it always felt like a punishment. He smiled, "That's right your family were fishermen. We were leather workers in the olden days. My family raised cows at some point. They used to graze on the land surrounding the compound. The painting in the parlor is a depiction of how the compound used to look."

Bonnie said, "I have seen that painting a million times and never realized that."

"Well, it isn't much to look at."

"Don't say that. It is a beautiful painting…"

Husband and wife settled into a comfortable rhythm of asking random questions and delighting in the answers. Damon was kicking himself for not trying to get to know Bonnie sooner. He could not remember the last time they had just talked about themselves. It was partly because they had known one another for years. There was an assumed level of familiarity. However, there was a different level of familiarity required for a successful marriage. Damon had been too cocky to listen to Zacharias' counsel on the matter. They talked until someone knocked on the door.

Damon scowled and said, "I will be right back."

Bonnie nodded and glanced at her phone. "It is getting late anyway. People will start arriving soon. I should head back out there."

He walked to the door ready to bite off the head of the person that dared disturb him. However, he stopped short when he saw it was Zach's oldest son, Lucian.

The 12-year-old was holding Victor as he cried.

Damon automatically took his little brother and rubbed his back. "What happened, Luc?"

"He got lost playing hide and seek with the younger kids. Sarah told me that she couldn't find him so I went to look for him. When I found Victor he was crying in the theater by himself. He wanted you," he explained.

He frowned and asked, "Where are the nannies? They are supposed to be keeping eyes on everyone."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Papa is yelling at them now."

Damon was glad to hear that Zach was taking care of the problem. "Thank you for bringing him to me. Keep an eye on your cousins for me. Yeah? There are going to be a lot of people here tonight."

Lucian nodded and said, "I will."

He closed the door once the boy walked away. Damon sat down on the couch and placed Victor on his lap. He took out a handkerchief and wiped at his tear-stained face. He shushed him softly. "You're okay, kiddo."

Victor promptly popped his thumb into his mouth and rested his head on Damon's shoulder.

Damon rubbed his back more and sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't have skipped naptime today."

Bonnie frowned at him. "Oh, you didn't, Damon."

He said, "It was a busy day, Bunny."

"Even more reason for tired little ones to have a midday nap. I made sure that Sarah took a nap this afternoon as a precaution. Our little princess is like the spawn of Satan when she doesn't have enough rest."

Damon snorted and then looked down at this brother.

Bonnie said, "It might be a good idea to put him to bed now or he is going to be clinging to you all evening."

"Come with me?" he asked.

She frowned. "I really should make sure that everything is on schedule in the kitchen."

"Please...just give me a few more minutes of sanity," he murmured.

Bonnie relented and said, "Fine but only because he is such a cutie."

Damon chuckled quietly. "I'll take what I can get."


	59. The Boss

Damon had been a stone cold alcoholic for many years but he still managed to behave as a functioning member of society. Perhaps the only downside was the way alcohol exacerbated his already volatile temperament. Damon was what some people would call an 'angry drunk'. However, the people the mobster allowed into his inner circle knew that to be a falsehood. Damon was always angry, but alcohol loosened his meticulous control. When Damon was inebriated, all the rage he usually suppressed came rushing to the surface. He was more likely to lose control if he found himself engulfed in stressful situations. He could think of few situations more stressful than his father's memorial and repast.

He wisely decided to abstain from drinking today. Damon did not want to find out what sort of irreparable damage he could cause to his marriage and family during this highly emotional time. Seeing Bonnie faint yesterday had shaken him to his core. He would do anything to avoid starting another fight with his pregnant wife. Damon was especially worried about the business meeting scheduled for tonight. He did not know how to balance his business and personal relationships with Bonnie. However, he figured finding that balance had to start with his temporary sobriety. It took an enormous amount of willpower but Damon managed to remain sober for the entire day.

Damon had been annoyed as everyone around him enjoyed the impressive selection of hard liquors and expensive wines. His mood was made worse as he listened to genuinely interesting stories starring Giuseppe. Damon was shocked to realize that jealousy was at the root of his anger. He was envious that so many people had such charming anecdotes about his father. Meanwhile, Damon had to fabricate a heartwarming story when it was time to memorialize Giuseppe. He chose one of his favorite childhood memories of a former family friend, Frankie. The older man had served as a surrogate father, until Giuseppe ordered Damon to slit his throat. Inserting his father into such a precious memory felt like he was slitting Frankie's throat for a second time. Unfortunately, this time he was not a scared fourteen-year-old boy acting on his psychotic father's orders.

He felt physically ill after recounting the fabricated memory for their family. The need for a drink became almost unbearable for him. Damon's eyes kept straying to the wet bar across the room. Frankly, he was craving something much stronger than a simple drink. He knew that it was as simple as finding Enzo. His best friend always had cocaine on hand for situations like these. Damon resisted the urge to cross that line because he knew the night would spiral out of control. If he was volatile while drunk, then he was completely off the rails while he was high. Above all else, he did not want to see the look of disappointment on Bonnie's face if she realized that he was using again.

He waited until another of Ric's stories about Giuseppe enthralled the entire room. It was an off color story about the time he took teenage Ric to a brothel in Nevada. He had heard the story about a dozen times over the years. Ric seemed to embellish the facts a little more each time. Damon locked eyes with his uncle for a split second and then beat a quick retreat. He felt like a coward for running away from memories of Giuseppe. Damon had never run from the man when he was flesh and blood. He would be glad when this loathsome day ended.

Damon wanted to seek out Bonnie again. The time they spent together earlier had been calming. He knew that it was selfish to demand comfort from a woman that he had caused so much pain. However, he did not have anyone else that he could trust. Everyone else needed him to be the boss. He could never show weakness with any of them. It was different with Bonnie because she had always been able to see through his bullshit. Best of all, she no longer felt the need to hold her tongue around him. Damon found her biting honesty to be refreshing even if it did occasionally ding his pride.

Damon spotted Caroline in the sitting room. She was sitting alone with a glass of merlot. He asked, "Have you seen Bonnie?"

Caroline's cheeks were rosy from having one too many drinks. She blinked at her brother-in-law as if trying to make sense of his question. "What?"

Damon's eyes rolled skyward in exasperation. "Maybe you should have some coffee, Blondie."

She covered her mouth to stifle a hiccup as she stood up. Caroline frowned and then conceded, "Maybe you're right, Damon."

He wrapped an arm around Caroline's waist to keep her from teetering over. Then he steered her to the kitchen and away from prying eyes. It was late in the evening and only family members remained. Friends and business associates had already left the Manor. However, he knew that Caroline would be embarrassed in the morning if anyone saw her this way. Despite, her purple hair rebellion as a teenager, she had mastered the role of a high society wife.

Damon motioned for the kitchen staff to get lost.

The staff quickly left the kitchen as ordered.

He was glad to see that there was still hot coffee. Damon had no idea how to use the complicated coffee machine. He pulled a couple mugs from the cabinet.

Caroline sat down at the island and watched as Damon poured a cup of coffee for her. She nervously twisted her horribly expensive wedding and engagement rings around her finger. Caroline was dead on her feet. The day had been physically and mentally exhausting. Tomorrow would not be much better. Most of the Salvatore family members planned to stay in town until after the New Year. She would have to play host to them without much assistance. Bonnie would be returning to Abby's house tonight. Meanwhile, Meredith would be returning to work in the morning.

Damon placed the cup of black coffee in front of her. He leaned against the counter and studied her for a moment. "Are you feeling okay, Blondie?"

She nodded. "Sure."

He could tell that something was bothering Caroline. She had always worn her heart on her sleeve. However, Damon was not the person that she would normally come to with problems. Their relationship was built around him teasing her good-naturedly. Caroline acted as if she was always annoyed but she was really fond of him.

Caroline blew on the coffee to cool the steaming hot brew. She asked, "Can I tell you a secret, Damon?"

He lifted an eyebrow but nodded, "What's on your mind, kid?"

She picked up the cup of coffee and made a face when she realized it was black. She contemplated finding some milk or cream but did not want to risk falling on her face. She took a sip of the bitter beverage and said, "I'm glad that he is dead."

Caroline's revelation did not surprise the mobster. He was certain that many people that attended the funeral and repast shared the same opinion. However, he was surprised that she chose to express that opinion to him.

"He was…I had nightmares about him. I was always waiting on the day when he would turn on me. I wondered what I would do. Would I have the courage to tell Stefan? Would I just pack up my kids and run for the hills? I would hear stories of what he was doing to other unlucky women and I felt so grateful that it wasn't me. You must think that I am horrible," Caroline whispered as she stared down at the cup.

Damon swallowed thickly and shook his head. He hated that all the women in their family had been living in terror because of Giuseppe. Damon felt worse that none of them had felt safe enough to turn to their husbands for protection. "No, I don't think that you are horrible, Caroline. I am sorry that you had to live like that for so long."

She took another sip of coffee and said, "I was making a plan to leave after what Giuseppe did to Bonnie. I didn't want to hurt Stefan but I couldn't stay in this house if Giuseppe was going to be here, too."

He did not need to ask if Stefan knew about her plan. His little brother would not have kept something this seismic from him.

Caroline lifted her eyes from the counter and lowered her voice to a whisper, "Thank you."

"What?" he asked cautiously.

She elaborated, "Thank you for making me feel safe in this house for the first time since I married Stefan."

He did not know what to say in response to that. There was no way that he could admit that he had killed Giuseppe. He was not thrilled that Bonnie knew the truth but at least she was the acting boss of an allied family.

Caroline took off her heels and stood up with her cup of coffee. She said, "I am going to head upstairs to bed for the night. I think I have performed my duty as the grieving daughter-in-law admirably. Good night, Damon."

Damon stared after her and said, "You never said if you knew where Bonnie was."

She stalled near the door and replied, "The last time I saw her, she was about to put Sarah to bed."

"Thanks," he said.

"I miss her," she said quietly.

"Me, too," he replied.

Caroline nodded stoically and then left the kitchen.

He leaned against the marble countertop and tried to wrap his mind around the conversation he just had with Caroline. He was certain that she would regret being so forthcoming when she sobered up in the morning. Damon wondered what part, if any, he should share with his younger brother. Stefan could not change the past. Moreover, he did not want to cause strife in their marriage. Stefan had enough problems with Lilly suddenly showing interest in his life.

Damon surveyed the dessert options and picked out a few classic Sicilian pastries. He often overindulged in sweets when he was trying to avoid using cocaine. Revisiting that practice seemed like the sensible thing to do now. Damon only planned to abstain from alcohol today. He could not give up drinking wholesale and he knew it. However, he would no longer use cocaine. The high did not last long enough and the toll it took on his personal life was too high. He also knew that it was better to stop now before be developed an addiction again.

He took out his phone and sent a text to Bonnie while snacking.

 **Damon: Is Sarah asleep yet?**

 **Bonnie: The good news is that she is asleep. The bad news is that you don't have anywhere to sleep tonight. Victor, Sarah, and Nadia are all sleeping in your bed.**

He snorted because Bonnie had warned him not to put Victor to sleep in his bedroom. However, he had not been able to pass up the opportunity to be alone with her in the room they once shared. Bonnie had been instrumental in helping put the cranky toddler to sleep.

 **Damon: It is a worthy cause. I am in the kitchen. Want to get a bite to eat with me?**

 **Bonnie: Sorry. I have to meet with my uncle.**

Damon tried not to feel disappointed. He did not know when they would have the opportunity to be alone again. The meeting between the two families was looming. He had spent most of last night receiving counsel from Bruno, Giacomo, and Zacharias. He had a clear idea of what concessions could be made without weakening the organization. Much of what was happening between the two families was about posturing and reputation. Bonnie had to appease the people that worked for her. They had to know that she could be ruthless. Damon had the same situation on his hand. Everyone in his organization would be watching his first moves as boss. Yet Damon did not know if he could bring himself to reject any request made by his wife.

Sophie poked her head into the kitchen. "Mrs. Salvatore wanted the leftover food packed up and taken to the shelter. Is it okay if we get back to work, sir?"

Damon's lips twitched into a small smile. Of course, his wife would want to find a better use for the leftovers that would otherwise be thrown into the garbage. He wondered if Bonnie always did this after the Manor hosted a catered function. Damon had never paid much attention to her philanthropy. The Salvatores had a storied history for their charitable donations. However, Damon never did much more than sign the paperwork that floated past his desk.

He beckoned Sophie into the kitchen. He picked up a container of almond cookies and his cup of coffee. He said, "The kitchen is yours again, Sophie."

"Thank you, sir."

Damon made his way outside where he would not be disturbed. He would have preferred to be spending this time with Bonnie but being alone was the next best thing. He had suffered through enough familial togetherness to last him for quite some time. Fortunately, business matters would occupy him for the next few days. No one would expect him to be as available as he had been today.

He sat down on the chaise lounge and made himself comfortable. Afterwards, he took out his phone and started his favorite playlist.

Zacharias found him in exactly the same position an hour later. He stood off to the side and just watched his nephew for a few minutes.

Damon opened one eye and then closed it. "Why are you staring at me, Zio? It is weird."

"Yes, I am the weird one in this family," he said with a chuckle.

"I don't know…you went all _Deathwish_ on Mommy Dearest last night. I think you might be suppressing your inner psychopath."

Zacharias sat down on a nearby chaise and put up his feet. "Well, I have violent tendencies but I also know how to show restraint. That is the only reason I didn't snap Lilly's neck for showing up at the church today."

Damon opened both eyes this time. He asked, "You knew that she was at the church? I told her to stay out of sight."

"You should know that there is very little that escapes my notice, nephew. I was tipped off a few minutes after you left the sanctuary to handle her," he replied.

"Fingers on the pulse of the family," he muttered.

"I try."

Damon said, "You know that I have to ask you not to kill her. I offered Lilly a certain level of protection. However, I made it clear that the house is off limits to her. If she wants to meet with Stefan, it will have to be at her hotel."

Zacharias rolled his eyes skyward. He said, "Do not allow that woman to paint herself as a victim. It is no secret that my brother was an absolute beast, but she is…."

"She won't get any runway from me. Lilly told me some things that opened my eyes. But nothing is going to change the fact that she abandoned Stefan and me. Her weak apologies won't take back one second of my fucked up childhood."

The older man's expression grew pinched. He asked, "Do we need to talk?"

"About?" Damon asked.

"Ric told me what you said last night about our negligence," he explained.

Damon closed his eyes again. "That is not a conversation that I want to have. It was said in the heat of the moment. It is water under bridge."

"I think we both know that isn't true. Salvatores are many things, but we aren't known for being forgiving. I am not suggesting that we hash things out tonight but sometime soon."

"One problem at a time, Zio," he said.

"Fair enough." Zacharias reached over and seized a cookie. He said, "I looked all over the house for you. What are you doing out here?"

Damon did not feel like discussing his emotional state but he trusted his uncle. He said, "I went looking for Bonnie but she didn't have time for me. She had to meet with her uncle. I guess Bonnie and Big John need to discuss how much they are going to fleece me."

"Is everything okay with the two of you? Stefan mentioned that you spent some time with Bonnie earlier," he said in a hopeful voice.

He snorted. "She slapped me…hard."

"What the fuck did you do?" he asked with a frown.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that the slap could have been undeserved?"

Zacharias gave his nephew a deadpan look. "No."

He said, "I tried to kiss Bonnie."

He looked genuinely exasperated. However, Zacharias was not surprised. Damon had always believed himself to be irresistible to the fairer sex. Unfortunately, Bonnie was made of tougher stuff than most. "How did you think that was going to go over?"

"I didn't really think it through before doing it. Don't get your panties in a bunch. We made up after Bonnie slapped me. She established some boundaries that were probably necessary," he explained.

"Well, that is good to hear. Maybe there is hope for tonight's negotiations."

Damon chuckled and said, "I would not count on that. We did not talk business earlier but Bonnie made it clear that she is going to get her pound of flesh from us."

Zach frowned but had to admit that his suggestion had been wishful thinking. He had been just as blindsided as Damon was by Bonnie's machinations. He would have to become acquainted with the new boss of the Benedetto family. "The meeting will start soon. Are you ready?"

"I have no idea what to expect from Bonnie…so no would be the answer to that question. I got the distinct feeling from our conversation earlier that she plans to pull the rug out from under me. I just don't know how yet," he explained.

Zacharias said, "We just have to stand pat. We can't cede more than we agreed to last night amongst ourselves. Giving into all of Bonnie's demands will not bring her home any sooner."

Damon muttered, "I am well aware of that. This is business for her. She is making moves that I would like to know more about. Her old man is sticking around because she needs his connections."

He nodded. "His connections? Do you think that Bonnie is trying to move weight?"

"I don't know. The Benedetto family has never been involved with drugs. But it is a new day…"

"I'll have our guys put their ears to the streets. If Bonnie is making big moves, someone knows about it."

"Thank you."

"I did find out that Bonnie is expanding her business. Lucy wasn't in Australia on vacation."

Damon looked doubtful. "She is going to sell arms in the land down under?"

"It is actually a sound business move. There are dozens of motorcycle and streets gangs in Australia and New Zealand looking to get their hands on heavy artillery that her family can provide. Bonnie will be printing money if she can get a foothold down there."

He chuckled wryly. "My sweet little bunny…"

"Sheila raised her right," Zacharias said.

Damon glanced at his watch and frowned. He said, "I guess there is no point in delaying the inevitable."

Zacharias nodded in agreement and stood up. "How are you feeling about this?"

Damon shook his head as he got to his feet. "My mind is clear and I am ready to listen."

"I don't think that anyone could reasonably ask you for anything more in this situation," he replied while walking into the house.

The younger man snorted. "Big John does not seem to be in a reasonable mood. We can only hope that Bonnie is running things. She isn't fond of me right now, but she likes me more than John does."

Zacharias shook his head. "The best of a bad situation…"

"There is a lot of that going on lately," Damon muttered.

Zach opened the door to the study and walked inside. The staff had reorganized the room to accommodate a large walnut conference table and twelve leather chairs.

Alaric, Bruno, Giacomo, and Robert Donovan Sr. were waiting for everyone else to arrive.

Damon walked over to Senior and shook the man's hand. "Thank you for staying. I know that it is getting late."

The older man smiled warmly. "No thanks are necessary. When the boss calls, you answer."

He said, "Well, it is more than that. We are family…no matter how far removed that relation might be."

Senior nodded in agreement. "Il sangue e sempre sangue."

Zacharias smiled and repeated, "Blood is always blood."

Damon said, "Things are going to be changing in the next few weeks and I want you to be a big part of those changes. Several positions in the organization have been vacated suddenly. I want to fill those vacancies with our blood…people whose loyalty is unwavering."

Senior could scarcely believe his luck. Bonnie would be incredibly pleased by this development. He feigned surprise, "I know that Giuseppe killed several good men. Has something else happened?"

Damon sat down at the head of the table. He said, "The Loiacono family has betrayed us. This betrayal goes back a couple decades. They have been working for the Benedetto family because of some beef between my grandfather and Alonzo Lockwood."

Senior nodded solemnly. "I was surprised when Alonzo returned to the family after serving his prison sentence. I did not understand how he could forgive Domenico. I suppose he didn't forgive him at all. How can I help?"

"Put together a list of our family members that you trust."

"I'll have that list ready for you tomorrow afternoon," he replied.

"Thank you," Damon said.

Senior sat down at the table and said, "It is my pleasure."

Ric walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. He said, "It is what we should have done all along."

"Second guessing the past gets us nowhere," Giacomo argued.

Zacharias nodded. "Zio is right. We cannot change the past. All we can do now is move forward. I think we have a solid strategy for that."

Ric scowled. He was mad at the world for a variety of reasons. At the top of the list was the truce Jo and Abby had seemingly struck today. He had spotted his wife and mistress chatting amiably this evening. Unfortunately, their truce did not seem to include him. "I should have been part of that strategy conversation last night."

Damon lifted an eyebrow at his uncle's complaint. "Then maybe you should have been here last night instead of whatever the fuck you were doing with Lilly."

Ric's grip on his glass tightened. "I was just trying to calm her down. My psychotic little brother had Lilly on the verge of a break down."

"I don't get involved in your personal affairs because they are none of my business. But I warning you to stay away from my mother. I don't need whatever drama will come from the two of you fooling around," Damon snapped.

"Nothing is happening between us," he argued.

Damon said, "You will have to excuse me if I don't just take your word for it, Zio."

Ric glared at Damon and walked over to the bar again.

Damon rolled his eyes at Alaric as the older man poured his third drink in as many minutes. He was suddenly grateful that he had taken an hour to decompress or he would be in a similar state. He lightly drummed his fingers against the conference table.

Zacharias sat in the chair next to Damon. He would need to be the voice in his nephew's ear since Ric was three sheets to the wind. Giacomo and Bruno were there to help appease Big John. Their uncles had a good relationship with him.

Stefan walked into the study and said, "Bonnie will be here in a few minutes."

Damon nodded. He motioned to the couch and said, "You can stay."

Stefan was surprised that his brother was going to allow him in the room. However, he was not going to question Damon's generosity. He merely sat down on the couch and waited for their guests to arrive.

A few minutes later, Bonnie walked into the room. She was still wearing the same dress from Giuseppe's funeral. However, her goddess locs now spilled down her back. She was also wearing a pair of black rimmed reading glasses.

Mason walked ahead of Bonnie and pulled out the chair at the end of the table.

Bonnie laid a hand on Mason's arm as a silent thank you as she took her seat.

Damon had hoped that Bonnie would sit beside him. However, she obviously chose the seat at the opposite end of the table symbolically. It was a stark reminder that they were not on the same side in this negotiation. Moreover, Bonnie was letting him know that she had as much right to sit at the head of the table as he did.

Big John exchanged pleasantries with Giacomo and Bruno before taking the seat beside his niece.

Gianni, Richard, Lucy, Cesare, and Mason filled in the other available seats. Meanwhile, Lexi and Cristian sat on the couch with Stefan.

Damon cleared his throat and said, "I just want to start the proceedings by thanking everyone for making time for this meeting. I know that today has been very long for most of us. I also understand many of the people in this room had a difficult relationship with my father and grandfather. Those difficulties helped breed discontent and ultimately disloyalty. I believe that it is imperative that we begin our partnership on a positive note. It is with this in mind that I offer my deepest apologies. I am also releasing the Loiacono family, both here and abroad, from their duty to my family. I will not seek any sort of retribution for their betrayal."

Big John sneered, "How very generous of you, Damon."

Ric said, "It is generous because we should be executing all of them."

Bonnie smiled pleasantly at her husband. "You might want to put a muzzle on your uncle."

Ric balked at the young woman's blatant disrespect. "You might try doing the same for your uncle."

"Enough!" Damon snapped at Alaric.

"Let's get one thing straight, you are releasing the Loiacono family because it is what we demanded from you. We would not be sitting at this table if I had not already received that assurance. Their freedom is what you owe me for allowing Giuseppe to use me as a punching bag while you were off fucking your whore. It is what you owe me for dragging your feet on finding and executing that perverted pig. It was this or war," Bonnie stated calmly.

Damon was torn between feeling supremely disrespected and guilty. He ground his teeth. "While no one wants a war, it was not a simple decision to make. Allowing this sort of betrayal to stand sends a bad message to the rest of my men."

"How you manage your house is not my concern, Damon. But you will not behave as if you are doing me any favors. If you maintain that attitude, it is going to be a very long and unpleasant night," she replied.

Big John smiled and relaxed against the leather chair. He was now certain that his niece would not roll over for her husband. The young woman had talked a good game before they entered the room. However, he would not have faulted Bonnie if she had developed cold feet once she was facing Damon. As much as he despised their union, he was not obtuse. Bonnie still loved her husband, even if she also hated him.

Damon scowled at Bonnie but pressed forward. "The Loiacono family is free to go but the territory they have managed here and in Milazzo stays with my family."

Mason visibly tensed but he remained quiet. He trusted Bonnie.

Bonnie had expected this from Damon and she was ready. "The territory here in the United States belongs to the Salvatore family. I have no interest in keeping it. However, the territory in Milazzo will stay in the hands of the Loiacono family and that is non-negotiable."

"On what grounds?" Zacharias asked incredulously.

"The Loiacono family's claim to that territory predates your family's foray into organized crime."

Ric yelled, "They were fishmongers until my family brought them over!"

Damon looked like he was ready to punch Alaric in the face. "What is…"

Cesare interrupted Damon, "Raise your voice to my cousin again and I'll rip out your fucking larynx. Stronzo…"

Ric said, "We can do this however you want to do it."

Bonnie laughed lightly. "I wouldn't mind seeing Cesare beat you into a bloody pulp but I don't think that would be conducive to peaceful negotiation."

Damon looked at his uncle. "If you yell at Bonnie again, you won't have to worry about Cesare kicking your ass. I would like to remind you that she is still my wife."

Ric glared at Damon but wisely shut his mouth. They would talk about this later and quite possibly come to blows. However, they had to appear united for now. He flashed a fake smile at Bonnie. "I am sorry, darling. Please, continue your explanation."

Bonnie said, "The Loiacono family were fishermen for a time, the same as my family. However, Giovanni brought Giacobbe over from the old country because he was also a damn good bootlegger. Your family's success has made you all forget how you got here. And you wonder how my great-grandmother so easily turned them to our side."

Mason was glad to hear Bonnie defending his family.

Zacharias said, "I am sorry for my brother's outburst. However, you have to understand why we would be hesitant about making this concession, Bonnie. While that territory might have started with the Loiacono family, it was absorbed into our organization long ago."

"I do not believe that I am being unreasonable here. I am relinquishing their territory here in the United States. That is a great loss to their family and mine. The territory here has proven to be far more profitable than what they hold in Milazzo. I am sure you will bestow the territory upon people not as high up the ladder as they were. You can demand a larger cut from the new crews."

Bruno said, "You are right but it does create a power imbalance in Milazzo."

"Does it?" Bonnie asked. "My family has held Milazzo by the short and curlies since Alonzo agreed to work for us. Nothing moves in Milazzo without my family knowing about it. The only difference is now your family knows that we wield that power. I would also like to point out that we are allies. The balance of power is inconsequential as long as we are allies. And if we someday stop being allies…"

"We would wipe you off the fucking map whether you control the Loiaconos territory or not," Cesare finished.

Bonnie nodded in his direction. "I could not have said it better myself, cugine. Prego. Now I do not want you to take that as a threat. It is merely a statement of fact. My family has worked very hard to infiltrate all of Milazzo's nooks and crannies."

Damon clenched his fists beneath the table because Bonnie had out maneuvered him. His mind raced as he considered his options. "We will still be losing a great deal of money once we lose that source of income. However, I am willing to agree to your request if there is a way for my family to recoup the money."

"Did you have something in mind?" she asked.

He said, "I hear that you are working on a lucrative opportunity in Australia and New Zealand. Cut us into that deal and the territory in Milazzo is yours."

Bonnie maintained her poker face but she was not happy. She wanted to know how Damon had learned about her deal. "There is no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to be cut into the profits, then you need to bring something to the table."

Lucy was infuriated by this turn of events. They were stepping all over the deal that she had spent months putting together. Lucy added, "It has to be something that we can't do on our own."

Damon said, "That is fair. How about military grade explosives?"

Bonnie was definitely interested. She lifted an eyebrow. "Can you really get your hands on enough to make it worth my time?"

"I can get enough to keep your shelves stocked for the next six months, Bunny," he replied.

Bonnie said, "I would need a sample of the product before I agree to anything. I would also need to know where it is coming from."

Ric said, "The first stipulation is no problem at all. The second one is out of the question."

Lucy chuckled darkly. "Then there is no way we can agree to this. We are the ones that are taking all the risk by selling explosives without knowing the provenance."

Damon tapped his fingers on the table and said, "I can get you a meeting with the source. But he is a squirrely fuck…for good reason. He isn't going to want a meeting this large."

Bonnie said, "Then it will just be Cesare and Uncle Richie."

"Uncle Richie?" Damon asked. He looked at Richard with new eyes. The Loiaconos were not just loyal soldiers. They were an extension of Bonnie's family

She smiled. "Do we have a deal?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Good."

Damon said, "Now there is something I want to ask."

"Okay," she replied.

"I am sure that the Loiacono family are not the only moles your family has placed in my organization. This is a one-time only deal. Identify them and I will let them live. If I discover them at a later date, I will handle them the way I would any other traitor," Damon said.

Bonnie nodded. "Well, John Gilbert was one of ours but I had to kill him. He was assisting Giuseppe. In fact, everyone that has died or gone missing since Thanksgiving served my family once upon a time with the exception of that travesty in France. The ones I had killed all sided with Giuseppe because they didn't think much of my leadership or yours."

Damon blinked in shock. He stared at his wife for several tense seconds. "John died because he took too much of a tainted party drug."

Lucy nodded and said, "And it was my tits that convinced him to take those party drugs."

Ric's gaze lowered to her cleavage. He could see why John would have been so distracted.

"What about the rest of the Gilberts?" Damon asked.

"John was the only one. My Grams went after him because he was such an opportunist. She repaid his defection by convincing Giuseppe to make him his consigliere," Bonnie lied smoothly.

Zacharias said, "You said that your family was responsible for all the recent stateside deaths. Does that include Freddie?"

Lucy chuckled, "Man, that was a good morning."

"The cops just found his fucking head in a dumpster in Modesto," Damon sputtered.

Bonnie nodded. "He was a traitor. His little brother was, too. However, I promised to give Raphael a chance to redeem himself. He is a good kid that was probably just following his older brother's lead."

Damon asked, "Is there anyone else?"

She smiled and motioned for Richard. "Uncle Richie has a list prepared. We expect our people to remain unharmed."

Richard opened a leather folder and pulled out a typed sheet of paper. He slid it across the table to Zacharias. Of course, it was not a comprehensive list. However, Bonnie had wisely decided to throw Damon a bone. The young woman hoped it would throw him off the scent of the more important assets embedded in his organization.

Her eyes briefly flitted to Senior.

Zacharias placed the piece of paper where he and Damon could read over it simultaneously. There were ten names on the list.

Damon asked, "Is this everyone?"

Bonnie nodded. "Absolutely."

Damon wanted to believe Bonnie, but he knew how well she could lie. "Thank you."

"You are welcome. I thought that it was best if we start this new phase of our partnership with a clean slate," Bonnie said cheerfully.

Damon, "Well, I think we have addressed all the major issues. If there isn't anything else we can all call it a night."

All the Salvatores began moving in their seats. However, the Benedetto family did not stir.

Bonnie said, "Well, I am afraid there is one more pesky little matter that we have to address."

Damon got a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was certain that he wasn't going to like whatever Bonnie would say next. "You have the floor, Bunny."

"Thank you, but what I really want is for you to step down as CEO of Velocita," Bonnie said.

The look on Damon's face was priceless. "What?"

Zacharias cleared his throat. "Have you been dissatisfied with the company's leadership?"

She smiled. "Well, I just know that assuming the reins of the family business can be time consuming. I do not know if Damon will have time to act as steward to the Salvatore organization and Velocita. Both of our organizations depend on the legitimate income the company produces."

Damon stared at his wife for a long moment. Then he said, "I call bullshit."

She chuckled softly. "What gave me away?"

"This isn't the first time you mentioned ousting me from the company. It came up in therapy…" Damon growled.

Bonnie's eyes widened. "Oh, I remember. It was around the time that I promised to shred Katherine and Enzo into confetti if you harmed a hair on Tyler's head. Whoops! I got a little worked up and tipped my hand that day. Anyway, it doesn't change the fact that I want you to step down. I would like to do this peacefully. However, I am completely prepared to take the company from you."

Zacharias said, "A change of power like that is not a simple task, Bonnie. It would require approval from the board. You would also need a viable replacement for Damon."

"I have both of those things," she replied.

Richard said, "We have been quietly talking to members of the board for weeks now. It was all hypothetical in the beginning but we have the votes."

"When did it stopped being hypothetical?" Damon asked through gritted teeth.

Bonnie leaned forward. "The takeover stopped being hypothetical the night you lost your fucking mind at Klaus' club."

Giacomo and Bruno looked at their great-nephew for some sort of clarification.

John looked as if he wanted to strangle Damon with his bare hands. His grandsons had made him aware of Damon's ugly outburst against his niece.

"I apologized for my behavior," Damon insisted.

"Did you really think that would be the end of it? You called me a whore in front of my family and friends. You humiliated me. You put your fucking hands on me! An apology just isn't going to cut it."

Damon had to remind himself to stay calm. He really wanted to act a fool. However, he swore to himself that he would not start a fight with his wife. "I am not stepping down."

Bonnie shrugged. "Don't step down. I will relish ousting you. Maybe then you will feel an ounce of the humiliation I have suffered while married to you."

"Sounds like you are talking about more than the fight at Klaus' club," he commented.

"Perhaps. I have been known to be petty and vindictive."

Lucy nodded. "It is a family trait."

Zacharias said, "Let's all calm down. I understand that you and Damon have some issues that you need to settle. However, I don't think that you should be using Velocita as a tool to punish him."

Bonnie said, "I like you, Zach. You have always treated me with kindness and respect. Therefore, I am going to address you in the same way. Deposing Damon is petty and vindictive but there is also a practical reason for doing so. I have a CEO waiting in the wings that is better equipped to move Velocita into the future. Damon has done a fine job with managing the company. However, the company is not his top priority. My mother's cousin, Ayana, is just what Velocita needs. She was the CEO of BTS before the merger. She has the business acumen and technical knowhow to improve what we are already doing. Damon would retain his position on the board. He would still have a great deal of input but with far fewer responsibilities. You can focus on the organization and being a father. There is no shame in that, Damon."

Ric threw his glass at the wall and screamed, "You scheming little bitch…"

Damon's head whipped in the direction of his uncle. He was out of his seat and on the older man in seconds. He slammed his fist into Ric's face repeatedly.

Ric threw Damon backwards onto the table. "You little asshole!"

Zacharias and Stefan sprang into action. They tried separating the two warring men but it was next to impossible.

Giacomo had seen enough. He took his cane and slammed it into the back of Alaric's knee.

The fight quickly ended because Alaric hit the floor like a brick.

Bonnie glanced in Damon's direction to make sure he was okay. She had not planned for this evening to turn violent. She certainly did not want him hurt. Damon's lip was bloody but Alaric had taken most of the damage. It wasn't surprising considering the disparity in age, health, and sobriety. She said, "Well, I do believe that is our cue to leave."

Big John stood up and pulled out Bonnie's chair for her. He wrapped an arm around her waist. "We need to get you home so that you can rest."

"Yes, I am ready to get out of these shoes. They are killing my feet and I could really go for a snack. I wonder if I can convince Mama to cook something," Bonnie pondered aloud.

"I would not mind getting my hands dirty in the kitchen. How does spaghetti aglio e olio sound?" he asked.

"It sounds delicious." Bonnie looked over her shoulder and caught Damon's eyes.

He stared back at Bonnie. Anger twisted his handsome features into something fearsome.

Bonnie bit her lip and continued out of the study with her family. She was unsure of how Damon would choose to proceed but that really was not her concern. She had exacted revenge against her husband in a way he would not soon forget. Damon now understood that Bonnie did not need to use physical violence to assert herself. Her grandmother had taught her that revenge was not one size fits all. She had taken great pleasure in having Niklaus' hand mutilated in retribution. However, she could not bring herself to hurt Damon in the same way. Besides, physical violence was not as effective with Damon. He had suffered too much abuse from his father. Damon used physical pain as fuel but what she did tonight had wounded his pride. She had cut him deeper than any knife ever could.

She looked at Lucy and said, "In light of recent events, I think it is best if Sarah comes home with us tonight."

The older woman nodded. "I'll go get her and meet you at the car."

"Thank you," Bonnie replied.


	60. Chameleons

It had been three days since Giuseppe's funeral but there was complete radio silence from Damon and his uncles. Bonnie was grateful for the reprieve even if she was somewhat concerned. She did not know if Damon was merely sulking or if he was planning a way to counter the threatened coup at Velocita. Richard had been working diligently to ensure they still had the necessary votes to unseat Damon if it came to that. Currently, it did not seem that any of the board members had switched their allegiances. However, Bonnie knew from experience that smiling faces told lies. She would give Damon two weeks to resign before calling a no confidence vote.

In the days following the funeral, Bonnie had made an effort to stay off her feet. She was reluctant to admit it but the pregnancy was taking a toll on her body. She felt tired more often than not. She had swollen ankles and her body ached periodically. Cole visited with Bonnie every day to maintain a close watch on her condition. He assured the young mother that her maladies were normal. Fortunately, Bonnie did not have to do much because Abby was doting on her as much as possible. However, Bonnie had other concerns. She realized that in a few months' time she would have to delegate most of her responsibilities to avoid exhaustion.

Bonnie was fortunate because she had a strong family and organization supporting her. She knew that the men and women in the Benedetto organization would be her eyes, ears, and boots on the ground. However, Bonnie was worried about taking her hands off the tiller while she prepared to give birth. She had gotten her hands dirty to weed out all the traitors just a few short weeks ago. The organization was stronger because of those early sacrifices. Nevertheless, the reason those once loyal men turned traitor was because they doubted her ability to lead the organization. They assumed that Richard was running things rather than reporting to Bonnie as her consigliere. She did not want to history to repeat itself.

She would have to find a way to balance her responsibilities as a mother with her duties as the boss. Bonnie did not know how to accomplish that goal yet, but there were was no shortage of advice. She had the good fortune to be born into a family that knew the value of women. Her great-aunt, Geneva, had made her bones as a bagwoman for the organization. She had been a young mother at the time and never allowed it to slow her down. Bonnie was soaking up all of the woman's invaluable knowledge. Spending time with Geneva just reinforced Bonnie's desire to visit Milazzo before giving birth. She was eager to see the aunts that did not make the trip.

Bonnie had enjoyed her mini vacation, but it was time to get back to work. She would be attending the New Year's Eve bash at Niklaus' nightclub. It was the hottest ticket in the city but he had graciously extended an invitation to her. Bonnie hoped that meant he was not harboring any ill will following the mutilation of his hand. If everything went to plan, he would be firmly in her pocket by the end of the night. She needed to find a dress that would turn heads but it was not as easy as she had hoped. Thus far, Bonnie had tried on about a dozen dresses but she did not like anything.

Lucy was trying on a gold sequined cocktail dress. She was shaking her ass to _Drunk in Love_ while looking in a full-length mirror. She never choose any dress without testing if she could ' _drop it like it's hot'_. She said, "I don't know why you are tripping, Bon. We are Benedettos and we look amazing in everything. Just choose something already."

Bonnie scowled at her cousin before plopping onto the couch with dramatic flair. She was wearing a satin bathrobe and a colorful satin headscarf. She said, "That's easy for you to say. I am starting to show. The two dresses that I like the most aren't fitting right over my bump."

Gemma rolled her eyes at Bonnie as she adjusted her cleavage in the mini dress made of red silk. The dress was gorgeous but all eyes would be on the nearly obscene plunging neckline. She said, "You have looked beautiful in every dress that you tried. You are being difficult for no reason."

Lucy said, "Wear some Spanx if you are really concerned."

Abby nodded in agreement from her armchair. She took a sip of tea and said, "Your cousins are right, baby girl. You look beautiful in everything. There isn't a bad dress in the bunch."

Lucy asked, "Do you know what this is really about?"

Bonnie asked, "What?"

"You are just feeling self conscience because Tyler was out all night partying," Lucy explained.

She rolled her eyes. "I am not as insecure as that. I am glad that Tyler had fun with his uncles and cousins. They all deserve to celebrate their freedom from the Salvatores."

Lucy did not look convinced. "It isn't a judgment about you. I fucked Brady in the hookah bar's bathroom last night for good measure. We haven't said that we are exclusive. I just wanted to remind him why my kitty is the only one he needs."

Abby frowned at her younger cousin's filthy mouth. "Lucy Marie…"

Gemma erupted in laughter. She asked, "Are wedding bells in the future?"

Lucy said, "If I was wearing pearls, I would clutch them. I am not the marrying kind. But I am willing to cook him breakfast in the morning."

"What about you, Bonnie?" asked Gemma with a raised eyebrow.

"Wedding bells for me? I haven't even divorced my first husband yet," Bonnie argued with a small smile. "Ty and I are just taking things slow."

All three older women turned to look at Bonnie with varying levels of disbelief.

Bonnie started giggling. "Maybe we aren't taking it slow but we also aren't racing toward marriage. I just want to take my time with Tyler. He is so important to me. I don't want to ruin what we have."

Lucy sat on the arm of the couch. She asked, "Has he talked to Elena again?"

The younger girl tensed at the name of Tyler's ex-girlfriend. She said, "I don't know."

Lucy said, "Damon is such a petty son of a bitch. He is only setting Elena up with Angelo to be spiteful."

Bonnie bit her lip and shook her head. "I don't think that spite was his only motivation. It is a smart strategy and it is good news for us. It means that Damon truly believes that Grayson is loyal."

Gemma asked, "Do we know anything about Angelo?"

Bonnie said, "I know him passing but I can't make any sort of judgment about his character. Senior is going to fill in the blanks for me Monday. Do you know anything about him, Mama?"

"I haven't seen Angelo much since Giuseppe shipped him off to Denver. When he was younger, he was a nice kid. He could be braggadocious at times but not malicious. I never heard rumors of him being overly violent. Senior will have more up-to-date information. He and Giuseppe might have grown apart over the years but he is close to their other relatives," Abby replied.

Lucy sighed quietly. She felt incredible sympathy for Elena. She was grateful that her family had never required such a sacrifice from her. Lucy did not want to imagine being forced into a marriage with a man she did not know. She murmured, "Thank God for small blessings."

Bonnie walked over to the rack of dresses. She did not care about Tyler going clubbing with his family last night. However, she was concerned about Elena's plight. Tyler's reaction to the news had been strong. Bonnie did not know if he was just worried about the girl he loved at one time or if it was something more. She wanted to ask Tyler but feared that she would appear petty or insecure.

Abby, Lucy, and Gemma all exchanged knowing looks.

Bonnie pulled a dress from the rack and examined it closely. The color scheme of the bejeweled cocktail dress reminded her of a peacock's feathers. The green in the dress matched Bonnie's eyes perfectly. She held the dress against her body and turned to look at her family. "What do you guys think?"

Lucy tilted her head to one side. She confidently declared, "That is the dress…"

Gemma nodded in agreement.

Abby stood from her chair and walked over to Bonnie. "Gabi will have your makeup on point, too. Tyler won't be able to take his eyes off you, baby girl."

"Well, I have to try it on first. It might not fit," she complained.

The older woman took her daughter's face in her hands. "It is going to fit and you will look marvelous. Let me help you."

Bonnie handed the dress to her mother. Then she untied her satin bathrobe and placed it on a nearby chair.

Abby unzipped the strapless dress and helped Bonnie step into it. She easily pulled the dress over Bonnie's curves and zipped it. "Just as I predicted, it fits you like a glove. What do you think, baby girl?"

Bonnie stood in front of the mirror and studied her reflection. She moved a hand onto her baby bump and smiled. "I guess I do look hot."

Lucy huffed and asked, "You guess? Now you are just fishing for compliments."

Bonnie grinned at her. She said, "Well, I guess I found my dress for the night. I know tonight is about business, but I plan to have fun, too. I deserve it."

"Damn right, you do," Lucy agreed.

Bonnie removed the dress with Abby's help and returned it to the rack for now.

Abby asked, "Are you hungry? You should probably get something in your stomach before Zari gets here to do your hair."

Bonnie removed her goddess locs a couple days ago. Abby washed, conditioned, and then braided her hair into simple cornrows last night. It was all in preparation for Zari's arrival later today. Bonnie decided that she wanted to switch to a lace front wig for a while. Much like the goddess locs, the lace front wig was something she would have never tried previously. However, she was giddy at the prospect of experimenting with different looks without altering her real hair. She was not quite ready to buck her grandmother's golden rule about hair maintenance. Sheila never allowed Bonnie to cut her hair. In the coming months, Bonnie planned to try different styles, lengths, and colors via wigs.

"Well, I guess that I could eat beacuse it is almost lunchtime. Do you need some help with lunch, Mama?" Bonnie asked.

Abby pecked her daughter's cheek and said, "You are supposed to be taking it easy. Tonight is a big night for you. I can take care of lunch without your help. I have Nonna Emily's winter stew cooking in the crock pot. I'll make some sandwiches to go with it."

Bonnie's eyes lit up at the mention of her great-grandmother's winter stew. She said, "That sounds delicious, Mama."

"Are you craving anything special?" Abby asked.

"Not really. I am sure that I will be happy with whatever sandwich you decide to make. I am quickly becoming spoiled from all the delicious food you have been cooking lately," she replied.

She collected her teacup and said, "Well, my baby girl is pregnant and deserves to be spoiled a bit. I'll let you three know when lunch is ready. It shouldn't take long."

"Okay, Mama," Bonnie replied happily.

She smiled as she walked out of the room. Abby felt grateful that Bonnie was allowing her to help in some small way. She could no longer use her charms to extract information from Alaric. Their relationship was hanging on by a thread. She planned to cut that thread in the coming weeks. Fortunately, she and Jo had come to an understanding for the sake of their children. Both women decided that the children should not suffer because of the sins of adults.

Bonnie pulled on her robe and then sat down on the couch with a relieved sigh. She was happy to have found a dress for tonight. Now she could relax until it was time to get ready. She looked to Lucy and asked, "Is Brady coming with us tonight?"

The Lockwoods were not required to attend the night's festivities. There were enough Benedettos cousins to ensure Bonnie's safety. However, Tyler and Mason had already signaled their intention to be front and center tonight.

The older woman stripped off her dress and said, "Yes. I plan to ring in the New Year with Brady inside of me."

Bonnie laughed at her cousin's raunchy response. She had expected nothing less from Lucy. She watched as her cousins finished redressing. They would all turn heads tonight.

Gemma sagely said, "Aunt Sheila always said the way you ring in the year is how the rest will follow. I have always taken that to heart."

Lucy said, "Exactly! I plan to be riding Brady like a thoroughbred when the ball drops. What about you little cuz? Will you and Tyler try to slip away at some point?"

Bonnie groaned and said, "Cole gave us the all clear but Tyler is being cautious. He has been worried about me since I fainted earlier this week. There will be no New Year's Eve sex for me."

Gemma cooed teasingly, "Povero bambino."

Bonnie flipped both of her cousins the bird. "My hormones are already out of whack. Add that to the fact that I am trying to make up for lost time…"

Lucy smirked, "You are going about this all wrong. Stop letting Tyler take the lead. Get him alone and take off all your clothes. Tyler won't be able to turn you down. He is a good boy but he isn't a saint."

Gemma nodded in agreement. Her tongue firmly in cheek, she replied, "Listen to Lucy. She knows all about seducing men. She could write a damn book."

It was Lucy's turn to flip off her cousins. She had always been confident in her sexuality. Frankly, it came in handy when she needed to disarm her male adversaries. Lucy did not care if they were staring at her tits during negotiations. Her only concern was walking away from the deal having thoroughly fucked them –- and she did not mean in the sexual way.

Lucy gave an exaggerated hair flip and boasted, "I could write several books about seducing men and women. I like to be versatile. Thank you very much!"

Bonnie laughed so hard that she snorted.

Lucy grinned. "Don't knock it until you try…"

Bonnie said, "I will take your word for it, Luce. All joking aside, I wanted to run something by the two of you."

Gemma's eyebrows furrowed. "What is on your mind, conigiletto?"

"I have been thinking of buying another house…"

Lucy looked concerned and asked, "Is there something wrong with the beach house?"

"No, I love the beach house. The décor finally fits my personality. I feel very comfortable there, but I was thinking that I might buy something bigger," she replied.

"How much bigger were you thinking?" Lucy inquired. The beach house was large enough to accommodate Bonnie and her children with room to spare.

Bonnie said, "Shadow Hills will always be our family home, but for now I live in California. I want something large enough to accommodate my family that I love very much."

Lucy gave her a knowing look. She asked, "Is this about Abby?"

The green-eyed girl admitted, "It is to a certain extent. Mama will never say it but I played a part in the demise of her and Alaric's relationship."

Lucy interjected, "Uncle John is this thrilled about that. You know how much he hates Ric."

Bonnie nodded in agreement. She had heard many tirades by her uncle in recent weeks. She continued, "She is going to have to move eventually. The deed to this house is in her name but Alaric is the one that bought it. He feels a level of ownership over it and her. You can see that by how he continues to show up unwelcome and unannounced."

Gemma nodded in agreement. "Aunt Geneva already broached the subject with Abby."

Bonnie was glad to hear that she was not the only one with concerns. To her knowledge, Alaric had never been physically violent with her mother. However, their recent arguments scared Bonnie. Growing up around Sheila and Giuseppe, she knew the warning signs for physical violence all too well.

Lucy said, "I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to protect your mama, Bon. I would do the same for mine in a heartbeat."

"It is not only that. I have enjoyed staying here with her. I don't think I am ready to give that up."

Gemma said, "We were all raised in multi-generational households. There is value in having so many family members around. I am always spending time at the compound in Milazzo. When I show up, I never know which cousins will be there."

Bonnie nodded with a small smile. "That is what I want for my kids. I like the idea of them growing up in the house with their nonna, uncles, and aunt. I want the cousins to stay with me when they come into town. I just don't know if Mama will want to do that. I mean living together for a few weeks is very different than a more permanent arrangement."

Lucy said, "I think that you should just talk to Abby. See where her head is at with all of this. She might just surprise you. Despite all the craziness around us, I cannot remember my big cousin being happier than she is now. Just make sure you have room for me in the lavish estate you are planning to buy."

Bonnie laughed and said, "You already know that you have a place anywhere I am living, Lucy. I appreciate you moving out here to support me."

Lucy said, "Think nothing of it. It isn't as if I have had a permanent base of operations in a long time. I bounce around from city to city and country to country for work."

"You have a condo in Miami," Bonnie pointed out.

"It is a condo that I rarely used. Besides, I only bought it so that I had privacy. I would never disrespect my grandmother's house by having sex there," Lucy replied.

Jamie knocked on the glass doors.

"Come in…" Bonnie called out.

Jamie said, "Mama told me to come get you guys. Lunch is ready."

Bonnie smiled at her brother. "Thanks, Jamie. Tell her we'll be there in a minute."

"You had some packages delivered, Sissy. They are in your room," the pre-teen replied as he left the room.

Bonnie frowned and said, "I don't think that I am expecting anything. I am going to see what was delivered. I will meet you two in the kitchen."

Gemma stood up and said, "Don't take too long. You know Jamie eats like he has a second stomach."

Lucy argued. "He is a growing boy."

Bonnie giggled quietly. "I am going to tell him that you said that."

Lucy and Gemma laughed as they left the family room.

Bonnie walked to the first floor in-law suite that she used as her bedroom. She walked into the sitting room and frowned because she did not see any new packages. Bonnie assumed that Jamie must have left them in the bedroom. She could not blame him because the sitting room was cluttered with gifts she received from Christmas. Bonnie would need to start transporting everything to the beach house. She was coordinating with Caroline so that a moving company could retrieve her belongings from the Salvatore Manor. Her sister-in-law graciously offered to supervise the Manor's staff while they packed for Bonnie.

Her face lit up when she walked into the bedroom. Two beautiful flower arrangements were waiting for her on the dresser. Bonnie took a moment to smell the flowers.

Tyler relaxed on the king sized bed with his eyes closed. His lips twitched into a smile when Bonnie walked into the room. He said, "Hey, Bon."

"Are these from you?" she asked happily.

He nodded. "Do you like them?"

"Of course I like them. The flowers are beautiful, Ty. Thank you," she replied. "Is there a particular reason why you are buying flowers for me?"

"Nope. I bought lunch for us, too. Your mom helped me set this up. I hope you don't mind."

She bit her bottom lip and shook her head. Tyler knew how to make her feel special. "Not at all."

"C'mere," he said with a crooked smile.

She grinned and locked the bedroom door quickly. Bonnie climbed onto the bed and straddled Tyler. She kissed him deeply and asked, "What are you doing here? I figured you would still be sleeping it off."

Tyler pulled Bonnie into another kiss. He smiled up at her and said, "I probably should be asleep but I missed you. I wanted to spend some time together."

"I missed you, too. Did you have fun with your family last night?"

"Yes, last night was great. It could have only been better if we were back home," he replied.

She understood that sentiment all too well. "You should come with me when I visit Milazzo."

He chuckled quietly. "They'll try to get us married…"

"True," she replied with a smile.

"What did you do last night?" he asked.

"We taught Jamie how to play Scopa last night. It took a couple games but he finally got the hang of it. You know my family doesn't believe in allowing kids to win to spare their feelings."

Tyler said, "I am sorry that I missed that. I have always loved playing Scopa. Was there any money on the game?"

She chuckled. "Not last night since we were just trying to teach Jamie how to play. But I wouldn't object to playing tonight after we come back from the club. I am sure that I will be too wired to sleep."

Tyler still did not like that Bonnie would have to interact with Klaus tonight. He did not trust the bastard. Klaus was a prideful man. Tyler did not believe that Klaus would simply accept the mutilation of his hand without retaliation. However, he had no interest in arguing his point again. Bonnie had made her choice. Tyler's role was to ensure it went off without a hitch. He grinned at Bonnie. "Are you going to be my partner?"

"No."

His eyes widened and he repeated, "No?"

Bonnie smiled and said, "I love you but I am going to have such an attitude if we lose because of you. You know I am a sore loser."

"I do know this about you but I won't lose," he replied cockily.

"Cesare is a better player than you are."

Tyler flipped Bonnie over with care and began tickling her sides. "Those are fighting words!"

Bonnie giggled and squirmed. "Stop! You can be my partner."

He stopped tickling Bonnie and kissed her softly. He dropped down beside her on the bed and pulled her into his arms. He said, "That's better."

She snuggled up against him. Then rested her head on his chest. "Have you heard from Elena?"

Tyler stiffened at her question. Worrying about Elena was part of the reason he had not been able to sleep. He felt guilty about her predicament. Damon would not have pulled this if Tyler was still dating Elena. He nodded. "I talked to her this morning."

"How is she?" Bonnie asked. Her eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"She is upset and angry."

"Understandable," she murmured. "I am sorry…"

Tyler cupped her cheek and said, "This isn't your fault, Bon. This is Damon's doing. He has always been a vindictive son of a bitch. He decided to turn the screws on Elena because he can't lay hands on me."

Bonnie heard the venom in his voice. "I don't think that there is anything I can do to help Elena. I don't have any leverage with Damon after I demanded his resignation as CEO. Stefan won't tell me anything other than Damon is pissed at me. I am not really sure what to expect from him going forward."

Tyler knew that wasn't necessarily true. Bonnie had leverage over her ex but she wasn't going to waste it on Elena—someone she never truly liked. He understood why she would feel that way. Moreover, the leverage might be useful at a later point. "I understand. As much as I might hate it, this is part of our lives. We trade our daughters for alliances, power, and territory."

Bonnie nodded sadly. "Sarah is only five-years-old and already her future is decided for her. It is sick. Every day I pray that Hayley and Elijah are raising Julian to be a good man. I don't know much about Angelo but if he is violent, I will do everything in my power to protect Elena. I won't let anyone abuse her."

Tyler closed his eyes in relief. As always, Bonnie knew his heart even when he did not voice his concerns. He stroked her back and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you…"

"Are we okay?" she asked nervously.

He tilted Bonnie's head up so that he could look into her eyes. "I meant what I said about this not being your fault. I don't blame you and I am not upset with you. I promise, Bon."

Bonnie relaxed somewhat.

The doorbell could be heard in the distance.

Tyler reached onto the nightstand and picked up an envelope. He handed it to Bonnie. "A gift for you…"

Bonnie looked at the envelope and asked, "A gift?"

He nodded. "Open it."

She smiled tentatively and opened the envelope. Bonnie's smile brightened as she pulled out several brightly colored tickets. "Courtside tickets to a Warriors' game?"

Tyler said, "I thought we could take Sarah, your little brothers, and my nephews to the game."

Bonnie's eyes lit up. She kissed him deeply. "This is great. Jamie is going to be over the moon."

"Oh. You aren't excited?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"Maybe just a little…"

"I know you like ogling Steph Curry," he teased.

Bonnie giggled and said, "You know I love a man with a good jump shot."

"Oh, I know. That's why you love me."

"One of the many reasons," she replied. She frowned minutely. "This must have set you back a lot…"

Tyler shook his head. "Don't worry about it. A guy owed me a favor…"

Bonnie relaxed because she felt much better about Tyler strong-arming some man for the tickets rather than spending the money out of pocket. She said, "Okay."

"Are you hungry? I picked up your favorite salad from Moran's."

"Grilled chicken with extra chicken?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

He nodded. "But no onion because I know the kiddos have been giving you heartburn. There might even be a slice of triple chocolate cheesecake for you."

Bonnie sat up against the headboard and placed tickets on the nightstand. She opened and closed her hands excitedly. "Feed me."

Tyler chuckled and sat up as well. He picked up a takeout bag that was sitting beside the bed. He pulled out a couple containers from the bag and two bottles of water. "Mangiamo."

A few minutes later there was an urgent knock on the bedroom door. Lucy called out, "Bonnie!"

Bonnie climbed off the bed and opened the door. "What's wrong?"

Lucy said, "Ric is here showing his natural born ass. Gemma took the kids upstairs to make keep them out of earshot."

Tyler got off the bed with a growl. He was in no mood for the Salvatores' bullshit today. "I'll handle it."

Bonnie shook her head. "No, I don't want you involved. Damon doesn't have as much control over his uncle as he should. I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire."

Lucy said, "Bonnie is right. This is a Benedetto and Salvatore problem. Let us handle it."

Tyler scowled as they two women left the room.

Bonnie and Lucy rushed outside where Ric and Abby were arguing in the driveway.

Abby turned when she heard the door open. Her stomach plummeted when she saw the uncertainty in her daughter eyes. She knew the chaos the girl had witnessed between Sheila and Giuseppe. Bonnie was grown now but Abby did not want to put her through that again.

"I am not going to keep arguing with you about this, Ric. My friendship with Rudy is not your concern," she said.

Ric saw red when Abby turned to walk into the house. He grabbed his girlfriend's arm and whipped her around so fast that she nearly toppled over. "Do you think that I am playing with you, Abigail? Do you think that any of this is a fucking game to me? If you are fucking that son of a bitch, I will kill you both."

Rage practically radiated off Abby as she stared up into his eyes. "I am only going to say this to you one time. Get your motherfucking hands off me, get in your car, go home, and sober up."

"Or what? What are you going to do if I don't give in to your demands? Because I have to say, I am getting really fucking tired of appeasing you," he practically growled.

She threw her head back in laughter. "Then move the fuck on, Alaric. I am only here because my kids need a father. Frankly, I am starting to realize that they can do a hell of a lot better in the father department. You are a fucking coward! You have bitched and moaned about you brother for years and you never lifted a finger. It took my 21-year-old daughter to light a fire under your ass. You are pathetic. I can move home to Milazzo. Uncle Johnny and my cousin, Gianni, would be better role models for my boys than you are."

Alaric grabbed Abby's face. He lowered his voice. "You have lost your mind if you think I will let you take my kids from me. You and I need to have a talk. We can't do that here without drawing a fucking audience. You are going to walk your ass down the street and get into my car."

Lucy had seen enough. She stormed towards the couple and demanded, "Get your fucking hands off my cousin, Alaric! You are out of your mind if you think I will let her leave with you."

"Shut up," he snapped at Lucy.

Abby shoved at his chest. "I am not going anywhere with you. You are drunk in the middle of the day. You are acting like a crazy person right now!"

He didn't move an inch from Abby's push. Instead, he tightened his grip on her face.

Lucy nodded and decided it was time to arm up. She made a beeline into the house. She should have brought her gun out from the beginning. However, she was trying to be nonviolent since there were children in the house.

Bonnie knew the look from her cousin very well. She decided to put a stop to this. She said, "Ric, you need to leave before something bad happens. You know that there are some things that can't be taken back. Don't make me call Damon. He already kicked your ass once this week. That's why you are walking around with a black eye."

"This doesn't have anything to do with you, Bonnie. Go inside and mind your fucking business."

Abby slapped Ric across the face. "Have you lost your fucking mind? Don't talk to my daughter that way!"

Ric's head snapped back but he refused to let Abby go. He glared at her. "If I were Giuseppe, you would be on the ground bleeding right now."

Bonnie didn't know what to do. She knew that getting involved physically was dangerous. However, she did not want Lucy to return with a gun. She knew her cousin would not hesitate to shoot Ric in broad daylight. They did not need the problems that would start with the Salvatore family. Moreover, she did not want her daughter or siblings witnessing that sort of violence.

Suddenly, the front door opened and someone rushed by Bonnie.

Bonnie's heart nearly stopped when she realized it was her 12-year-old brother. She had assumed that he was upstairs with Gemma and the other children.

"Jamie!" she yelled and ran after him.

Jamie choked up on his baseball bat and screamed, "Let my mama go!"

Alaric stopped struggling with Abby and looked over her shoulder. His heart stopped when he saw his son standing before him with terror in his eyes. Alaric slowly took his hands off Abby. He moved towards Jamie with the goal of taking the bat from him. "Everything is okay, buddy. Your mom and I were just having a disagreement."

Jamie swung the bat at Alaric's knees in fear, but he missed by an inch.

Abby looked absolutely horrified. She shrieked at Alaric as she rushed to her son. "Get out of here! Just leave, Ric. Please!"

Ric looked heartbroken. The fear he saw in his son was like a bucket of cold water. He saw his behavior through his son's eyes and it made him sick. "I didn't mean...I wasn't going to hurt anyone. I just wanted to talk. I don't know how the fuck it got so out of control."

Lucy returned with a gun in her hand.

Tyler was with her. His dark eyes studied Bonnie and Jamie for any evidence of bruises. He relaxed when he found none.

Abby pulled Jamie into a hug. "I'm sorry, baby. I am so sorry."

"Are you okay, Mama?" Jamie asked tentatively. However, his eyes lingered on his father.

"I am fine. I am okay. You just go inside with Bonnie. Okay? Go with Sissy."

Bonnie placed a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Come on, Jamie. Mama is going to be okay. I promise and I wouldn't lie to you."

Abby gently pried the bat from her son's hands. "It's okay. Go on…"

Jamie finally broke eye contact with Alaric. He let Bonnie take his hand and lead him into the house.

Abby watched until her son and daughter were safely inside the house. She whirled around with the bat in hand and made a beeline for Alaric.

Tyler spotted the determined look in her eyes and quickly grabbed Abby around the waist. "You don't want to do that. You don't want to make this worse for Jamie."

Lucy looked at Alaric pointedly.

He swallowed thickly and put his hands up in surrender. "Okay. Okay. I will leave. I am sorry, baby. Tell Jamie I am sorry, too."


	61. Warning Shot

Abby's house descended into chaos after the volatile altercation with Alaric. The Benedetto clan flocked to the house with malice in their hearts and fire in their veins. In particular, Big John was baying for Alaric's blood. The elder statesman had never liked his niece's significant other and this debacle gave credence to his many arguments. Bonnie shared in her uncle's outrage but she was not ready to spill Alaric's blood—yet. Any fondness she held for her uncle-in-law died when he threatened to murder her mother and father. However, she did not know how to kill Alaric and still maintain their relationship with the Salvatore family. Damon despised his father but he genuinely loved his uncle. He would certainly retaliate if she had Alaric whacked. Bonnie trusted that Damon would not try to harm her but she was responsible for the safety of the men and women that worked for her.

It had taken nearly three hours for Bonnie to calm down her family. They had come to a tentative agreement on how to handle Alaric. Bonnie would meet with Damon tonight to issue a lone warning. This would be his only opportunity to get his uncle under control. Alaric committing another act of violence against Abby would be as good as signing his own death certificate. It was Damon's job as boss to keep the members of his family in line. Bonnie did not envy his position. She knew the growing pains that her husband would experience as he took the reins. Bonnie was going through similar pains. Bonnie did not relish pulling Big John aside to remind him that while in the United States he must follow her lead. She had been respectful but firm while expressing that sentiment. Bonnie hoped that she would not have to remind her uncle again.

After calming her family, Bonnie texted Damon. He agreed to meet with her in person but it would have to be later in the evening because he was busy. Furthermore, Damon insisted that they meet at _Peppe's_. She was surprised that he was at his family's boxing gym rather than preparing for a night of debauchery and hedonism. New Year's Eve was one of Damon's favorite holidays. Bonnie was anxious to speak with him. However, the delay meant there was time enough for Zari and Gabi to finish her hair and make-up. Alaric's antics aside, Bonnie still had to make an appearance at Klaus' club tonight.

It was nearly 6 o'clock when Bonnie walked through the boxing gym's glass doors. She wrinkled her nose in disgust because the smell of perspiration permeated the air. The expensive air filtration system installed earlier in the year did little to eliminate the pungent aromas. Her green eyes scanned the sparsely populated gym until they fell onto her estranged husband. He was in a boxing ring sparring with Zacharias. Under different circumstances, Bonnie might have taken a moment to admire Damon's toned physique and skilled footwork. She had always delighted in his skill as a pugilist. However, the young woman had more pressing concerns on her mind.

Bonnie stopped beside the ring. She yelled to be heard over the loud music, "Damon!"

The blue-eyed mobster paused his sparring and looked at his wife. Damon was pleased to see Bonnie even if he was still furious with her for the stunt she pulled. He had to admit that she looked gorgeous in the gold velour tracksuit. Bonnie's new shoulder-length bob hairdo also had his attention. Her hair was ombre with the top portion being jet black and the lower half a shade of green that complemented her eyes well. However, his happiness dimmed upon seeing that Mason, Lucy, and Gemma were with her. He knew from the wording of the text messages that this was not a social call. Now he understood that it was a business matter because Bonnie had brought heavy hitters with her. He took off his boxing gloves and grabbed a towel to dry the sweat from his body.

Damon hopped out the ring and stood in front of Bonnie. "What's wrong?"

Zacharias followed suit because he did not think Damon should confront Bonnie alone. He knew his nephew was still bitter about her power play.

"I think it would be wise for us to have this conversation in private, Damon," she suggested. Bonnie gave a pointed looked to the gym's other patrons. Some were members of the Salvatore organization while others were just civilians.

He nodded. "We can move this into the office. No one is in there at the moment."

Everyone walked up to the office located on the second floor.

Damon took a seat behind the desk that was covered in paperwork. He rolled his eyes in exasperation because the office was always in shambles.

Zacharias moved to stand behind his nephew. He could not glean anything from the steely looks on everyone's faces.

Bonnie and Lucy sat in the two chairs in front of the desk. Meanwhile, Mason and Gemma stood behind them.

Damon asked, "What can I do for you?"

"Since you do not have the foggiest idea why I have asked to meet, I can only assume that you have not spoken with your uncle," Bonnie opined.

Damon leaned over and grabbed a t-shirt from a stack. He pulled on the shirt and said, "No, I haven't spoken to Ric since last night. Why?"

Zach had a bad feeling about this. When he last spoke to his older brother, he was ranting about Jo and Abby getting his children together for a meal. He was not invited.

Bonnie said, "Your uncle came to my mother's house and behaved horridly today."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "That is putting what happened mildly."

Zach's 'bad feeling' had just been confirmed. He only hoped that he and Damon could assuage the fiery young woman in front of them. He sat atop a short file cabinet behind the desk.

Damon sighed deeply. "I am sorry for whatever Ric has done now. However, I cannot dictate his personal relationships, Bunny. Abby knew what she was getting into when she struck up a relationship with my uncle. She knows his vices and flaws better than most. Also, I agreed to meet with you, not to be glared at by your cousins and your lapdog. You are my wife but I think you can understand why I am no mood to do any favors for you."

Mason grunted in disapproval but did not speak.

"I would not be here if this was about some small lovers' quarrel, Damon. I have no interest in meddling in my mother's relationship, but Alaric crossed a line today that he can never cross again. My family wants him dead for what he did. However, I don't want to start an endless cycle of violence when we have only just established some semblance of peace. I will admit that I was sorely tempted to do something dramatic like burn down one of your warehouses. After all, Molotov happens to be my favorite cocktail. Nevertheless, I decided to behave rationally in coming here to talk to you. Do not make me regret that decision by being flippant and disrespectful," Bonnie explained in a measured tone.

Damon stared into his wife's eyes and saw the truth in her words. He could add possible arsonist to his lovely wife's attributes. Damon tried mightily to ignore the ember of desire that ignited. He said, "I am sorry. I did not realize it was as serious as that. What happened?"

Bonnie took out her phone and pulled up a photo album. She flicked through four pictures that showed bruising on Abby's face and arms. She said, "This is how my mother looked just before I left her house. In 24 hours, those bruises will be much darker and my uncle will be much angrier. It was no easy feat cooling him down."

Zacharias and Damon both gawked at the pictures. The elder of the two spoke first. He asked, "My brother did this to Abby? I have never known him to behave so violently with a woman."

Lucy grounded her teeth. She asked, "Are you calling my cousin a liar?"

He quickly shook his head. "Of course not, Lucy. I can tell that you are all rightfully upset. I am just trying to get some clarification. This is out of character for my brother and I just want to understand…"

"You're asking if Abby deserved it?" Mason asked in a near snarl.

Bonnie looked over her shoulder and gave Mason a reassuring smile. She whispered, "Calmati…"

Zach said, "I would never suggest that a woman deserved to be injured. I jumped all over Damon when he decided it was wise to grab you after Midnight Mass, Bonnie. I have no doubt that my brother is in the wrong here. I am merely asking for context."

The tension in the room seemed to dissipate somewhat.

The young woman nodded and said, "That is a fair request. He showed up to the house stinking of booze and raising hell. When I walked outside Ric and my mother were screaming at each other. It was in poor taste because the children were in the house but couples argue. My mom was concerned about me so she tried to end the fight by going into the house. It is as if Ric snapped. He grabbed my mother violently and then threatened to kill her and my father. They argued more, he grabbed her face, and tried to make her leave with him. I will admit that my mother slapped and shoved Ric during all of this but he was still holding her and would not let go."

Zach felt nauseous as he listened to Bonnie recount the incident. Ric had certainly crossed a line that he should not with any woman. However, crossing that line with Abby Bennett was unwise for a multitude of reasons. First, Ric had put Damon in an untenable position. Second, he had put a target on his own back. He was lucky that Bonnie was able to corral Big John for now. Third, Abby was dangerous in her own right. Everyone knew that she had attempted to kill Rudy using rat poison. Abby had been in her early 20's at the time. He shuddered to think what a far older, wiser, and more efficient woman would to do to rid herself of a troublesome lover.

Damon put his head into his hands and heaved a sigh. He did not feel like dealing with this but there was no other choice. He said, "I am sorry, Bunny. My uncle is under a lot of strain and he obviously is not handling it well. But I will not make excuses for him. I will track Ric down and talk to him."

"It needs to be more than just a talk, Damon. It is one thing for Ric to put his hands on my mother. It pisses me off but I know that she is more than capable of taking care of herself. My real concern is that the fight only ended because my 12-year-old brother came outside with a fucking bat. You should have seen the fear in his eyes. I could have ripped out Alaric's heart with my bare hands for putting my brother in that position. You know now the things I watched your father do to my grandmother. Just as I know the things that you watched him do to your mother. I will not allow my brothers and sister to grow up in the same hell. They were all terrified and inconsolable. Sarah asked if Ric was as mean as Giuseppe was," Bonnie explained tearfully. She angrily wiped away her tears. She did not like crying in front of Damon because he was her adversary as much as he was her husband.

Damon's eyes darkened with anger when he heard about Jamie's role. No child should ever be placed in that situation. However, his blood began to boil when he heard about Sarah's reaction. He had not considered that their daughter had witnessed Ric's tantrum. He stared at Bonnie and saw the same brokenness that lived inside of him. They shared a knowledge only gained by growing up in a violent household. His voice was rough with emotion, he asked, "Are the children okay?"

"Cooper and Sarah were napping when I left the house. All the commotion and tears wore them out. Savannah is of course fine because she has no clue what is happening. Jamie is another matter altogether. He locked himself in his room and wouldn't come out," she replied in a shaky voice.

Zach said, "We will handle Ric. You need not concern yourself with him. Is there anything we can do for Jamie? Perhaps Damon or I could speak to him. I would say we are both uniquely qualified to offer support and advice in this situation."

Bonnie was surprised by Zach's offer. She nodded. "I'll have to talk to Mama about it but I am sure she would agree that Jamie could use all the love and support he can get."

Damon glanced at his uncle. He ordered through gritted teeth, "Find him…"

Zach nodded and took out his phone. "I am going to step out to make the call."

Damon looked at Bonnie. "Could I speak to you alone for a moment, Bunny?"

Bonnie nodded. She looked at Lucy. "I will be out in a minute."

Everyone slowly filed out of the office. Zach closed the door behind him.

Damon walked around the desk and sat in the chair beside his wife. He took Bonnie's hands into his and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I am fine…"

He smiled sadly. "I think we both know that isn't true. Today must have brought up some bad memories for you."

She nodded and said, "It did but I have survived much worse than your uncle acting like an asshole."

"I know," he replied. "I am sorry, Bonnie. I knew that Ric was having a rough go of it but I did not realize that things were this bad."

"It isn't your fault, Damon. I hope you don't think I am here blaming you for his behavior. Ric is a grown man and he made his own stupid decisions."

Damon said, "He is my responsibility because he is my uncle. If he was going off the deep end, then I should have noticed. I am old enough to remember how he responded the last time Abby rejected him. Giuseppe had to put him on wet work as a way to channel his anger…it was a bloody period for my uncle. I guess I just didn't realize that Ric and Abby's relationship was over…"

"Well, I do not know if it was truly over before today but it certainly is now. Ric should be incredibly wary if my mother was to welcome him back into her life with open arms. Anyway, you cannot blame yourself for this Damon. You have been occupied with other things…namely me," she replied.

He smiled wryly. "Yes, you have taken up a considerable amount of my time. I appreciate you coming to me about this instead of letting Big John take matters into his own hands."

Bonnie shook her head. "It was an easy decision to make. No one wants violence and bloodshed over a domestic incident. Besides, I know how much you love your uncle. I wouldn't want to take him from you unless it was absolutely necessary."

Damon squeezed her hand. "Maybe I could stop by later to see Sarah? I just want to check on her."

"I think that would be great, Damon. She needs all the love and reassurance that she can get. I won't be there but you are welcome at my mother's house when it concerns Sarah," Bonnie explained.

"Oh?"

She nodded. "I am headed to a hotel when I leave here. I am going to a nightclub for New Year's Eve. It didn't make sense to drive back to my mother's house when I am so close to Los Angeles now. Mama will be home with the kids. Aunt Geneva, Gianni, and Maurizio will be there, too."

Damon was not happy about Bonnie going out for New Years' Eve. However, he knew that now was not the time to complain. She had been through enough emotional turmoil for one day. He forced a smile and said, "Well, be safe tonight. You know people love any excuse to drive drunk."

"Oh, I will," she replied.

Damon shifted to a safer topic and something that held genuine interest for him. He asked, "How are the babies today?"

"They have been active today. I had a check up with Cole yesterday. Everything was within acceptable levels."

"That's good," he said. "Lilly has been bugging me for your phone number. I keep putting her off but I can't guarantee that she won't find another way to contact you."

Bonnie looked surprised. "Why would Lilly want to talk to me?"

"She gave me some bullshit answer about getting to know her daughter-in-law but she knows you aren't even living at the Manor. My guess is that she is hoping you will let her see Sarah," he replied bitterly.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Well, that's out of the question."

Damon lifted an eyebrow. He asked, "Really?"

Bonnie nodded. "You have made it clear that you don't want Lilly having contact with Sarah or Nadia. I fully back your decision. The place where we will always be in agreement is about our daughter."

"You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that…"

She said, "Sarah loves both of us. She gains nothing if we are fighting over her. I want to give our daughter the very best because it is what she deserves. We can only do that if we are on the same page."

Damon cupped Bonnie's cheek and said, "One of the best things I ever did was letting you adopt Sarah. You are a good mother to her."

"And you are a good father," she replied.

He groaned and sat back in his chair. "I am not as good as I would like to be. I haven't spent enough time with her."

Bonnie said, "You can change that, Damon. Things are crazy now but the dust will settle soon enough. Then you can devote more time to your daughters."

Damon hoped that Bonnie was right but it did not feel as if the dust was settling. It seemed as if a dust storm was slowly rolling into town. "Perhaps…"

Bonnie stood up and said, "I should really get going. This mess with Alaric has thrown my entire day off schedule."

Damon stood with Bonnie and walked out of the office with her. "Well, you don't need to worry about Ric anymore. I will handle him."

She smiled at her husband and said, "Good. Because if Alaric lays a hand on my mother again I will slit his fucking throat and leave him in front of the Manor like the sack of trash he is."

The mobster's blue eyes widened because he had not been expecting Bonnie's parting threat.

Bonnie leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Happy New Year, Damon."

"Happy New Year, Bunny," he murmured.

Zach watched as Bonnie descended the stairs to join Mason and her cousins. He overheard the girl's threat on his brother's life and fully believed her.

Damon leaned against the railing and said, "Tell me that you have a location on that son of a bitch. We need to find Zio for his own safety and well-being at this point."

He said, "I called Jo first and she hasn't heard from him. I've sent a couple guys over to Lilly's hotel, Seline's house, and a few of his favorite watering holes."

The younger man scowled at the mention of his mother.

Zacharias shrugged his shoulders. "Ric has to be in a bad way after what he did at Abby's house. He is either going to fall into a bottle or wind up between some woman's legs."

Damon could not argue with his uncle's wisdom.

"How was your private conversation with Bonnie?" he asked.

He said, "We managed to be civil despite the circumstances."

Zach clapped him on the back. "I am proud of you, nipote."

"It wasn't easy. I wanted to bring up that bullshit Bonnie pulled on me about Velocita but I knew it would be a bad idea. I am not going to change her mind and we would only end up fighting. We will fight for Velocita in the boardroom."

"I am glad to hear you are finally thinking rationally," he replied.

Damon shook his head and smiled wryly. "It took some time for me to wrap my head around my new reality. Bonnie had a hell of a head start on me. Her family has been running a long con on ours for decades. However, I am finally ready to play the game now that I understand the rules that Bonnie has established. My sweet wife might think I am useless but she is going to get a rude awakening."

Zach shook his head. "You do know that this is not meant to be foreplay?"

Devilment blazed in his blue eyes. He asked, "Who made up that stupid rule? I can definitely secure our family's position within Velocita while seducing my wife."

He huffed out a laugh. "Let's not get over our skis on this thing, Damon."

"Save your worries for your older brother. What the fuck are we going to do about him anyway? I mean other than kicking his ass. I am definitely going to kick his ass. He went over there knowing that my kid was in the house. Zio knows that Sarah couldn't even stay an entire night at the Manor because of what Giuseppe did to Bonnie."

Zach shook his head. "If we did not need Ric here, I would suggest sending him to Milazzo with our uncles."

"But we do need the drunken son of a bitch. He is my underboss and I need him almost as much as I need you right now. I don't even have a clear successor in mind because it was supposed to be Mason 'Fucking-Traitor' Lockwood. Angelo is top of my list but he doesn't have the years of experience that Mason had as essentially Ric's apprentice. I have been thinking that we might ask Zio Bruno and Zio Jackie to stay stateside for a few months. They're both old as shit but it wasn't so long ago that they acted as Giuseppe's right and left hands."

Zach nodded in agreement. "I had considered suggesting exactly that to you. I am even more certain we need their help now. They will be able to help us keep a leash on Ric. He has always had a close relationship with Zio Bruno. I do not plan to lose a second brother in as many weeks."

Damon clapped his uncle on the back. "I am not going to let Ric get himself killed. I am going to grab a shower and get dressed. I want to be able to leave here as soon as we have a location for him."

"That's a good idea. I am going to put out a few more feelers and then I will hit the showers, too," he replied.

The younger man nodded and then headed downstairs to the locker room.

Zach walked into the office and sat down at the desk. He started typing texts with more possible locations for Ric. Once Zach was finished, he went to the locker room to shower.

By the time both men showered and got dressed in street clothes Zach's phone was ringing. He stopped walking to his car so that he could answer the phone. He said, "Tell me you have something for me, Kai."

Damon stopped walking and looked at his uncle expectantly.

Zach put the phone on speaker so that Damon could hear what was being said.

" _I found Ric. He was in the first place that I looked," Kai explained in a disappointed voice. "He's holed up here at the Rischard."_

Damon rolled his eyes because of course Ric had run straight to Lilly. He was starting to think he should have let Zach whack the meddlesome bitch. He snapped, "Keep him there. I don't care if you have to knock him the fuck out to do it."

 _Kai said, "You got it, boss."_

Zach said, "We'll be there as soon as we can but traffic is going to be a monster."

" _Okay."_

Zach ended the call and tucked the phone into his pocket. "Let's go."

Damon followed him over to the SUV and climbed into the passenger side. He said, "I have my own habits so I am not in a position to judge. But are you fucking kidding me?"

Zach shook his head while putting on his seatbelt. "Maybe he went to Lilly for a sympathetic ear."

He glared at his uncle for his bullshit response. "I am seriously considering breaking my rule on prayer."

"What are you going to pray for?" Zach asked as he sped out the parking lot.

"I am praying that Lilly has gone through fucking menopause because I don't need the headache of a sister/brother/cousin. I don't want to hear any bullshit about fucking change of life babies," he ranted.

Zach glanced at his nephew and couldn't help but laugh.

"I am not fucking joking here," he snapped.

"Oh, I know that you are not joking, nipote. The absurdity of all this is what is hilarious."

Damon grumbled, "Even with Giuseppe dead there are fucking ripple effects. Shit he did to us that we can't just shed because he is dead. I am this close to suggesting family counseling."

Zach looked at Damon and realized that he was serious. "It might not be the worst idea. We all have a lot to get off our chests about Giuseppe and each other."

"Each other?" he asked.

He said, "You have been holding in some serious resentment about the way Ric and I left for college. We should have done more to protect you from Giuseppe, Damon. I'm sorry…"

Damon shrugged his shoulders. "No one protected you and Ric from him. I just got my helping of shit from the old man."

"But it is more than that and you know it. You took Stefan's helping, too. It never should have come to that. We could have and should have done more to protect you."

Damon grunted and rolled his eyes. "Do you really think this is the wisest conversation to have on the way to the hotel? I already want to break Ric's fucking ribs. I don't need any extra motivation. I get having it out with your old lady. We have all been there and done that but he left bruises on Abby. He also knew the kids were in the house—his and mine. He scared the hell out of them. How far would he have taken things if Jamie had not gotten involved?"

Zach shook his head as he thought about his young nephew. He did not have a close relationship with the boy because his paternity had been kept secret until recently. However, he planned to change that if Abby would allow it. "I don't think I want to know."

"Neither do I," he grumbled.

Zach pulled into the parking garage and found an empty space. He turned off the car and then headed up to Lilly's suite.

Damon scrubbed at his face. "Since I am here, I should drop in to see Nadia before we leave."

The older man nodded. "Do you want me to tag along for that?"

"You can if you want," Damon replied.

The two men stepped off the elevator and walked to the suite's door.

Kai was standing outside playing a game on his phone. He looked up when Zach and Damon approached. He said, "He is fall down drunk but he is in there."

Damon shook Kai's hand. "Thank you. You can get out of here."

The younger man nodded and headed for the elevator.

Zach knocked on the door.

A few moments later, Lilly opened the door. Her eyes widened in fear and she gathered her robe tighter. "Zacharias…"

He rolled his eyes. "I am here for my brother. Where is he?"

She moved to let them into the suite. Lilly said, "He is passed out on the sofa."

Damon walked into the suite and wrinkled his nose. "Just like old times, huh?"

Lilly looked down at her robe and closed the door. "Nothing happened between us, Damon. I was having a lazy Saturday when Alaric showed up. He was in bad shape. I couldn't just turn him away."

"Yeah," Damon replied skeptically. He picked up a pitcher of water from the coffee table and dumped it over Ric's head.

Ric sputtered as he woke up with a start. He blinked blearily at his nephew. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I just had a cheerful little visit from my wife," he sneered.

Ric's expression darkened. He slowly sat up on the couch and pulled off his soaked shirt. "I fucked up…"

"Understatement of the year!" Damon barked.

Zach looked at Lilly and said, "Give us the room."

She looked uncertain but ultimately disappeared into the bedroom.

Ric groaned and rubbed at his temples. He wondered if it was possible to have a hangover while still being drunk.

Zach sat down on the coffee table so that he could look Alaric in the eye. "What the fuck, Ric? You are roughing up women and scaring children. This isn't you."

He grumbled and reached for the half-empty bottle of vodka by the couch. He took a healthy swig and asked, "Who else would it be?"

Damon said, "This isn't a fucking joke to me, Ric! My daughter was terrified after your temper tantrum. She asked Bonnie if you were mean like Giuseppe was. Do you understand how far over the edge you have gone?"

Ric winced at the mention of his great-niece. He had not even considered the other children in the house. He had been too focused on his son. Ric had failed the boy in too many ways to count. At the top of the list, had to be refusing to put his name on Jamie's birth certificate. He muttered, "Shit. Are the kids okay?"

"What the fuck do you think?" Damon snapped.

Zach took the bottle of vodka out of his hands. "Enough of that. What started all of this? You have your demons but this isn't you, Ric."

The older man's shoulders slumped in obvious defeat. "Jo served me with divorce papers yesterday. Then last night Abby went out to coffee with Rudy of all people."

Zach was shocked that Jo decided to pull the trigger on divorcing his brother. However, he did not blame his sister-in-law for that decision. "I am sorry, Ric."

"I get Jo wanting to divorce me. I deserve it. I've been fucking around on her for years. I've got three kids from another relationship. I was going to tell Abby that we could finally be together and then I saw her with Rudy. I was tempted to kill that fucker on the spot but it was too public. I can't believe that she is even talking to that asshole. Abby hates him."

Damon said, "Bonnie told me that they struck a truce after Giuseppe hurt her. Rudy came stateside to keep her safe. Maybe he will leave in the coming weeks."

Ric glared, "Not fucking likely. It took some time but I found out he's working on some big drug deal with Klaus. He's not going to make a deal like that and then go back to London."

The younger man looked concerned. "Are you sure about that? Bonnie told me that Rudy was staying in town to help her with some business deal…"

Zach frowned because this didn't make sense to him. He interjected, "That can't be right. The Benedetto family has always made a point to stay out of the drug trade. It was an edict that came down from the original matriarch."

Ric agreed with his brother, "Abby told me that her great-grandmother said that drugs corrupted the soul and stripped away free will. She had seen the ravages of opium in the old days and wanted no part of it. There is no way that Abby would stand by while Bonnie walked that path. All I know is that Klaus and Rudy are meeting tonight at his club to finalize the deal."

The wheels in Damon's head began turning. He exclaimed, "Son of a bitch! Bonnie just told me that she was going clubbing for New Year's Eve. The last time my sweet wife was at Klaus' club she had John Gilbert whacked."

Ric laughed dryly, "The bastard is trying to move in on Abby and he's turning your wife into a drug dealer. I say we kill the fucker and cut our losses."

Damon rolled his eyes. "My wife is not so easily led. She certainly wouldn't be bamboozled by Rudy. No, if Bonnie is involved it is of her own volition."

"I am just trying to understand the angle," Zach added.

"She is probably looking for a foothold into the Mikaelson organization. She needs a way to solidify the alliance with them even if we are no longer together. Klaus is just out of prison and needs to reestablish his connections. He is about to become Elijah's second-in-command. He recently took over a huge swath of territory. We all know the Mikaelson organization has no qualms about moving drugs. Targeting him is the smart play," Damon observed.

Zach frowned. "Rudy's stay might not be temporary."


	62. New Year's Eve: Part 1

When Bonnie woke up that morning, her biggest concern had been securing a long-term partnership with Klaus. In the running for second place, had been her romantic relationship with Tyler. However, after Alaric's violent outburst all she wanted to do was stay at home with her family. Unfortunately, business had to take precedence because these were uncertain times. Her relationship with the Salvatore organization was on shaky ground. It was just good business to make other allies. Mob bosses, especially new ones, had to scratch and fight for every victory. Bonnie would have to work twice as hard because she was a young woman of color. Her adversaries and allies would doubt her capabilities but she was prepared to prove that she deserved her place at the table.

After meeting with Damon, she felt confident that he was taking the situation seriously. He had witnessed Big John and Alaric's volatile relationship. It would not take much agitation for this powder keg to blow sky high. She hoped that Damon would rein in Alaric before more drastic measures became necessary. However, she was not foolish enough to put all her eggs in one basket. She could not in good conscience leave her mother, daughter, and siblings unprotected while she was in Los Angeles for the night. Therefore, she had asked Gianni and Maurizio to stay the night at the house. Alaric would get a rude awakening if he dared show his face tonight.

Bonnie had several very important balls in the air but she was determined to enjoy New Year's Eve, too. This would be her second time going to a nightclub. She only hoped that this excursion would turn out better than the last one. Bonnie was looking forward to ringing in the New Year with Tyler. She planned to spend most of her night on the dance floor with his hands on her body. She could think of no compelling reason to hide her relationship with him. Damon knew the truth now. He also knew the lengths she would go to avenge Tyler if any harm came to him. She could be as violent and territorial as Damon could be.

Bonnie and her cousins got ready to go clubbing at the hotel suite she booked for the night. In some ways, they looked like normal women in their 20's and 30's preparing for a night on the town. However, the ways in which they differed from their peers were incredibly important. The Benedetto girls had spent a great deal of time finding ways to conceal weapons on their bodies. It wasn't as if their revealing dresses offered much cover. Fortunately, they all had experience in that area. No one was anticipating any problems but being unarmed in public was an unnecessary risk.

Bonnie and her entourage pulled up to the club in five black SUVs with heavily tinted windows. The armored vehicles had been Big John's belated Christmas gift to his niece. She loved his practicality. They arrived at Klaus' club at about 10:30, but the night was only just getting started. Bonnie was pleased that her name was on the list because the line into the club stretched well down the block. This club was always one of the hottest night spots in the city. However, Klaus' presence was certainly giving his club a boost tonight. People wanted to be able to say that they were rubbing shoulders with Los Angeles' most notorious bad boy.

When Bonnie walked into the the club, the manager was there to greet her. She showed the group to the VIP section on the second floor. Klaus had reserved the best area for Bonnie again. She hoped this show of generosity meant that he would be willing to strike a deal with her later tonight. First, she planned to have as much fun as a pregnant woman could have on a holiday celebrated with alcoholic beverages. Bonnie was benevolent and ordered bottle service despite her own 'dietary' restrictions. She requested juices, sparkling cider, and flavored waters for her own enjoyment. Bonnie also ordered enough food to help soak up the alcohol everyone would be consuming. The Salvatores weren't the only family that overindulged.

Bonnie relaxed on the tufted couch that was shaped in a semicircle. She had a glass of ginger ale in her hand as she watched Tyler and his uncles shoot the breeze with Cesare and Remy. She loved whenever their two families had the occasion to party together. Bonnie's green eyes shifted across the room where Klaus and his family were celebrating. She was actually interested in his sullen nephew. She watched as he finally abandoned the VIP section and walked downstairs to the bar.

Lucy followed her cousin's gaze. She made a show adjusting her dress to expose more cleavage. "Do you want me to go make nice with the nephew? He is a cutie."

Bonnie laughed softly because she could imagine Andrew blushing furiously as Lucy flirted with him. He was a sweet kid with a shy personality. She said, "You're not his type, Luce."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at Bonnie's curious reaction to her offer. Men rarely turned down her advances. Lucy was attractive but her personality often did most of the work. She could be brash but men usually liked her ability to be one of the guys. Then it was as if a light bulb came on. She asked, "He doesn't like Black women?"

Bonnie lowered her voice so that only the people surrounding her would hear the answer. "According to Hayley, Andrew doesn't like women at all."

Lucy sat back on the couch and mulled over that revelation. She smirked and suggested, "Well, then send Cristian to chat him up. Who could resist that handsome face?"

Cristian lifted an eyebrow at the mention of his name. His dark eyes narrowed suspiciously because Lucy looked as if she was up to no good. He asked, "Who am I chatting up?"

Lucy pointed the teen out to her cousin. She said, "Andrew is Klaus and Elijah's nephew. Isn't he adorable? I could just eat him up with a spoon."

"Says the 'Man-Eater'," Gemma replied with a cheeky grin.

He stood up to get a better look at Andrew. Cristian rolled his eyes and sat down again. "I am not going to seduce a teenager. Is he even out of high school?"

"Is he out of the closet?" Lucy countered.

Bonnie took a sip of her drink and shook her head at Lucy's antics. She replied, "He's 19-years-old but I wasn't suggesting that anyone seduce him. That was Lucy jumping to the wrong conclusion…"

She was genuinely interested in befriending Andrew. Bonnie didn't have many friends her age. Befriending civilians was a tricky prospect. Sometimes civilians only struck up a friendship for the boost in reputation or out of morbid curiosity. Making friends within the business was difficult, too. Bonnie's position meant that many of the girls that grew up in the life were envious. She was only a couple years older than Andrew was and he would have no reason to envy her. She also knew from Matt, via Davina, that Andrew and his boyfriend were going through a tough time. Now was the perfect time to test the waters with him. However, she did have an ulterior motive.

"You were thinking something. I know what that look means," Gemma interjected.

Lucy smirked because she was glad to have back up. She and Gemma had been partners in crime since they were children.

"Well, you are right that I was thinking about working an angle with him. But I was only thinking of striking up a conversation with him. He looks lonely tonight. Anyway, Andrew and Klaus have always been thick as thieves. He practically worships Klaus even though his temperament is closer to Elijah's. Although, I hear he is ballsy. A couple weeks ago he headbutted Enzo to protect Klaus," she explained.

"Stronzo," Lucy spat at the mention of Enzo.

Cristian asked, "The fondness is mutual between Andrew and Klaus?"

Bonnie nodded. "Definitely. Before Klaus went to prison, Andrew was practically his shadow. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't angling for a position in his uncle's crew now. He will probably get some pushback from Freya. She doesn't want her son involved in the business."

She understood Freya's concern. Bonnie did not relish the idea of her children following in her footsteps. In a perfect world, they would grow up to be doctors, lawyers, and architects. Unfortunately, a normal life was no more in the cards for her children than it had been for her. Sarah would marry Julian Mikaelson when she wasn't much older than Bonnie was now. Her unborn son would one day succeed his father as the head of the Salvatore organization. Her unborn daughter would likely be married into a family like the Lockwoods or one of Big John's great-grandchildren. They would all have a duty to their family.

Gemma asked, "Does his family know about his sexuality?"

She said, "Last month he brought a girl to Erik's christening but things are different now. Hayley told me that Andrew recently came out to his family. He felt more comfortable telling everyone the truth because he had Klaus' full support. Klaus stepped up and even got Kol to stow his homophobic bullshit."

Cristian snorted. "Been there, done that. I am glad that I don't have to play those games anymore. It was exhausting. I was lucky to have an older brother that had my back."

Gemma laughed. "You always had great taste in women."

"True. I do have an eye for beauty," he teased.

Lucy said, "At least you are bi, Cris. That had to go down easier with your folks."

"It probably would have been easier telling Nonno that I was gay. The fucking conversations we had with me trying to explain bisexuality to him. For awhile, I was ready to become permanently celibate just to end the conversation," he said with a smirk.

They all burst into laughter.

Lucy said, "Benedettos do not believe in celibacy. It is unnatural unless you join the priesthood."

"Or become a nun," Gemma added.

Bonnie asked, "What made you finally come out to the family?"

Cristian said, "After you married Damon, I realized that Nonno still planned to arrange a marriage for me. I had been willing to marry you for the good of the family, but anyone else was out of the question."

Lucy began laughing heartily.

"What's so funny?" Bonnie asked.

"Just imagining the two of you marrying each other," Lucy replied with a chuckle.

When Sheila was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Big John had proposed a marriage between Cristian and Bonnie. It would have reunited the two halves of the organization after over 70 years of separation. Bonnie and Cristian shared the same great-great-grandparents, Hannah and Vincenzo, and that made them third cousins. It was a distant enough relationship to avoid concerns about inbreeding or violating church doctrine on intrafamilial marriages. Ultimately, Sheila shot down John's proposal. She was determined to see Bonnie married to Damon. It was the only way to ensure her mother's plan succeeded.

Cristian rolled his eyes and slung an arm over Bonnie's shoulders. "I don't know, I think I would have made a good husband."

Bonnie giggled. "Definitely. We would have made beautiful babies, too."

Gemma muttered, "You certainly would be better than the one she has now."

Lucy rolled her eyes and replied, "That is a tragically low bar."

Bonnie glared at her cousins. She snapped, "Don't start that shit tonight. I don't feel like listening to the two of you complaining about Damon. I am supposed to be having fun. It is New Year's Eve."

Lucy sucked her teeth derisively. "I just hope that Damon isn't working that Salvatore charm on you. He sure seemed eager to speak to you alone at the gym. I am sure Alaric will try to pull the same shit on Abby. He's been treating her like shit for years and she takes it with a smile."

Gemma winced when she saw Bonnie's expression darken. She loved Lucy, but sometimes she didn't know when to leave well enough alone. Bonnie knew that they did not like Damon. She did not need be reminded of that fact. She certainly didn't need them second guessing her decisions.

"Just because we aren't trying to kill one another doesn't mean that I am eager for a reconciliation. I want to have a functional relationship with Damon so that we can co-parent our children. I would rather not raise my children to be as damaged as Damon and I are," Bonnie replied heatedly.

Lucy realized belatedly that she had pushed the wrong button. "I was just…"

Bonnie interrupted, "You were just sticking your nose where it doesn't fucking belong."

Cristian looked between his cousins and said, "Both of you go to your separate corners before this gets out of hands."

Lucy was dismayed by how quickly the conversation had gone sour. She was confused about what set off Bonnie. She frequently talked shit about Damon and her cousin rarely became angry. If Lucy had to make an educated guess, she would assume this was about Alaric. She knew that Bonnie blamed herself for some of the dysfunction in Abby's relationship. She was worried about how this would affect her younger siblings. Lucy was actually inclined to agree with her on that front.

She said, "I'm sorry for poking at an obviously sore subject, Bon. I didn't mean any harm. You know I like to talk shit."

Gemma nodded, "We all do."

Bonnie took a deep breath. "I am sorry, too. I think I am just cranky. It has been a long day and nothing has gone as I originally planned."

"You would be less cranky if you were grinding on Tyler right now. Sometimes you need proof that a man finds you desirable. I have found that the best proof is an erection pressed against my ass on the dance floor," Lucy offered with a grin.

Bonnie bit her lip and then shook her head. "No, it looks like he is having a good time over there. I don't want to bother him. Maybe I'll just go downstairs and dance by myself."

Lucy didn't like the idea of Bonnie going downstairs alone. It seemed like Klaus was playing nice but she didn't trust him. She was still waiting for the other shoe to drop after Bonnie had his hand mutilated in retaliation. Lucy still thought they should have just killed the son of a bitch. However, she did not want to get on her cousin's bad side again.

She smiled. "I'll come with you. I didn't squeeze into this dress to stay out of sight all night. I am ready to shake my ass and make Brady jealous."

Gemma finished her drink. "I am coming, too. Maybe I can find a nice American boy toy. I will need something to do while I am living in the States."

Lucy laughed. "Brady has a couple cousins. I could set you up with one of them."

She said, "I've never met a Loiacono that wasn't easy on the eyes but I am just looking for a good time. If I hook up with a Loiacono, there will be wedding bells."

Bonnie giggled and looked at Lucy pointedly. She replied, "That's true. I'm not the only one that Uncle John wants to push down the aisle with a Loiacono on her arm."

"Well, he's going to be fucking disappointed because the only way I will marry Brady is if he knocks me up," she huffed.

Cristian lifted an eyebrow. "It could happen for as much as you two…"

Lucy said, "Fuck. The word you are looking for there is fuck."

Bonnie teased her, "I was thinking 'make love'."

Gemma nodded in agreement. She batted her eyelashes at Lucy like a Disney Princess. She sang, " _Some day my prince will come. Some day I'll find my love._ "

" _And how thrilling that moment will be. When the prince of my dreams comes to me,"_ Bonnie sang.

Cristian chuckled. "Lucy looks like she is about to have an aneurysm."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "To hell with all of y'all. Let's go dance."

Bonnie put down her empty glass and followed her cousins downstairs.

"Bon!"

She looked over her shoulder when Tyler called out to her. She waited on the staircase for him to catch up with her.

Tyler grinned at Bonnie. It was obvious that he was already buzzed. He had pregamed with his uncles before coming to the club. If Tyler's red eyes were any indication, he had smoked a bowl, too. He looped an arm around her waist. "Why didn't you tell me that you wanted to dance?"

"I didn't want to bother you. It looked like you were having fun," she replied with a sheepish smile.

He kissed Bonnie softly. Afterwards, he said, "I hung out with those assholes last night. I wanted to spend time with you tonight."

She smiled up at him. "Okay."

Tyler took Bonnie's hand and helped her down the stairs. He was worried about her and the stilettos that she insisted on wearing. He wasn't complaining because her calves and ass looked amazing but they were a tripping hazard.

As they walked onto the dance floor, Zayn Malik's song _Pillow Talk_ started playing.

Bonnie gushed, "I love this song."

Tyler pulled Bonnie up against his body and rested his hands on her hips. He would never tire of being able to touch her like this. He replied, "So do I."

She couldn't help smiling at the possessive move from Tyler. Bonnie's body moved seductively to the beat of the music. Absently, she thought that Lucy was right. She was in a much better mood now that she was dancing with Tyler.

Tyler was happy that Bonnie didn't seen reluctant to openly display their new relationship. He had been concerned for the last week. Damon's warnings had gotten into the younger man's head. He had begun to worry that Damon was right about this only being a phase for Bonnie. Dancing with Tyler like this in Klaus' club meant she was doubling down on their relationship.

Lucy gave Bonnie an enthusiastic thumbs up.

The younger woman responded by flipping the bird at her cousin with a sly smile. Then Bonnie allowed herself to disappear into the song's sensual melody. She inhaled deeply and relished Tyler's scent. Her nose picked up hints of his cologne and the champagne he had been drinking in the VIP section.

Tyler moved his mouth to Bonnie's ear so that she could hear him over the music. He said, "I glad to see you smiling. You always look even more beautiful when you smile."

"I'm just happy to be here with you," she replied.

"I can't think of anywhere else that I would rather be," Tyler swore.

Tyler felt as if he could breathe for the first time since the night Giuseppe attacked Bonnie. The cruel tyrant was dead and his best friend was no longer under the Salvatore family's thumb. Bonnie had not only freed herself, but she had freed his family as well. The Lockwoods had placed their trust and lives in the hands of Emily Bennett long before Tyler was ever born. However, she promised that their sacrifices would be worthwhile. In hindsight, Tyler could say that she spoke truthfully. Emily, Sheila, and Bonnie had gone to great lengths to ensure his family was rewarded with wealth, respect, and power. Tyler enjoyed all those benefits but having Bonnie in his arms made him happiest.

Soon the song changed to something uptempo and the club's entire energy changed. More club goers rushed to the dance floor to join in the revelry. The lights flashed at a frenetic pace to match the song's beat.

Bonnie and Tyler danced together non-stop for over thirty minutes. Despite being in the middle of a crowded nightclub, they hardly paid attention to the people around them. The couple only had eyes for each other. Their hands were fairly busy, too. They never missed an opportunity to touch one another. Tyler felt as if the earlier awkwardness had evaporated.

Tyler watched in awe while Bonnie danced to Rihanna's song _Work_. She was always graceful on her feet because of her background in ballet. However, he had never witnessed her Jamaican dancehall moves. She executed the dutty wine flawlessly and he was hard as a rock in response. Tyler was seconds away from pulling Bonnie off the dancefloor so that they could make out in some dark corner.

Before he could put his plan into action, his dark eyes spotted Damon headed in their direction. He grabbed Bonnie's shoulder and said, "Damon is here."

Bonnie stopped dancing and looked around to find her husband in the crowd. Immediately, her body stiffened. She was in not in the right frame of mind to tolerate Damon's bullshit. Tonight she wouldn't stop her cousins from kicking his ass if he got out of line. She took Tyler's hand to keep him from reacting.

Damon smirked at Bonnie, but his rage was simmering just below the surface. He couldn't believe that Bonnie was wearing such a revealing dress in public. However, the way she had been dancing for Tyler was even more maddening. Nothing would make him happier than choking the life out of the younger man but starting a fight wasn't wise. He was trying to remain civil with his wife.

He said, "Hi, Bunny. I didn't expect to see you here tonight."

"I don't believe that for one second," she replied with a heated glare.

Damon put his hands up in mock surrender. He said, "I'm just here celebrating New Year's Eve with my family."

"I would think that you would be devoting your energy to keeping Alaric under control," she snapped.

He said, "You don't need to worry about Ric. My great-uncles are babysitting him tonight. Not that he is capable of doing much right now, he was passed out drunk when I found him earlier."

Bonnie wasn't happy to hear that elderly men were in charge of watching Ric. Fortunately, Gianni and Maurizio were at Abby's house to protect her. "I hope that your great-uncles are able to keep Ric at home...for your sake. I meant what I said earlier, Damon."

Damon smirked. "Oh, I am sure you did, Bunny."

Tyler's eyes widened when he spotted Angelo and Elena approaching them. He was practically grinding his teeth now. Damon was obviously trying to provoke him. He nodded in her direction. "Hi, Elena."

Bonnie had never been a fan of the girl. Elena always seemed to think that she was too good to sully herself with their business. It was a hypocritical stance when all the luxuries in her life were paid for with blood money-even that fancy medical school she was attending. She feigned a cheerful smile. "Hi. You look beautiful, Elena."

Elena glared at Tyler and Bonnie. She blamed the two of them for her predicament. She knew Damon was forcing her into a relationship with Angelo to get under Tyler's skin. Miranda had explained the reality of her situation just last night. In a bitter voice, Elena said, "Don't the two of you look cozy. I hope you're happy."

Tyler warned, "Don't start, Elena."

She scoffed, "Is that really how you want to handle this? Or are you just acting like this because we're in front of Bonnie? I don't know what you see in her."

Bonnie smiled winningly at Elena. "You should make yourself scarce before my sympathy for your situation runs out. I'm sure you know how hormonal and unpredictable pregnant women can be."

Elena glared at Bonnie but wisely dropped the subject. She looked up at Angelo and said, "I need something to drink…"

Angelo grinned and draped an arm over her shoulders. "Whatever the lady wants…"

Lucy and Cristian made their way over to the tense standoff.

Lucy asked, "Are we good here?"

Bonnie said, "It is fine, Luce. Damon was just about to walk away."

Damon leaned forward and kissed Bonnie's cheek. "You look beautiful. Have a good night, sweetheart. I'll see you again soon."

Bonnie watched as Damon walked away with a confident swagger. She glanced at Tyler and realized that he was watching Elena's retreating figure. She took a deep breath. "I'll be back…"

Tyler's head snapped in Bonnie's direction. He saw the wounded expression on her face and felt his heart drop. He followed Bonnie into the corridor where the bathrooms were located. "Bon…"

"Not now, Ty…"she replied with a shake of her head.

He grabbed Bonnie's hand and pulled her closer to him. He cupped her cheek and pleaded, "Don't run away from me."

She said, "I am not running away from you. I just needed a moment to collect myself."

The brunette mobster frowned at his girlfriend. "You might be able to pull that shit with Damon but I actually know you. You are upset. We should talk about what's wrong instead of letting it fester."

Bonnie glanced at the line of women waiting to enter the bathroom. She muttered, "Not here…"

"Then let's go back up to the VIP section. We can kick our families out so we can talk in private," he suggested.

She bit her bottom lip for a moment. "Okay…"

Tyler pecked her lips and whispered, "Thank you."

The couple made their way through the crowd and up to the VIP section. Lucy and Cristian were up there now. Judging by the expressions on everyone's faces, they knew about the encounter with Damon and Elena.

Tyler said, "We need some privacy. Get lost…"

In response, he received uncertain looks.

He growled, "All of you fuck the fuck off for now."

Bonnie huffed out a soft laugh. "Nice use of the double fuck. You are eloquent as always, Ty."

He winked at her and said, "I try."

There were some grumbles but their families slowly left them alone.

Bonnie plopped down on the couch. She frowned because she felt stupid for feeling so insanely jealous.

Tyler sat beside Bonnie and then pulled her onto his lap.

She asked, "Are you okay? I am sure seeing Elena with Angelo wasn't easy for you."

"No, it wasn't easy but not for the reasons you are thinking. I meant what I said about being over Elena. Even if you and I weren't together, I wouldn't be with her right now. But I am worried about her. You understand that, right?"

"I guess," she muttered petulantly.

"I didn't freak out when you spent time alone with Damon on the day of Giuseppe's funeral. And I should have been concerned since that asshole actually kissed you but I trusted you. I am asking you to trust me, too. I am not Damon. I am not going to screw you over," he argued.

Bonnie winced because Tyler had a point. She said, "I am sorry that I am putting my baggage on you, Ty. I guess after Damon I am always scared of not being good enough."

He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I understand. Not everyone can be as well-adjusted as I am."

She laughed softly. "Don't hurt yourself patting your own back. You are hardly well-adjusted. You are just saner than I am which isn't saying much."

Tyler kissed her softly. He looked into her eyes and said, "We can't let Damon's bullshit affect what we have. I am talking about the stunt he pulled tonight and the shitty way he has treated you."

Bonnie sighed, "You are right." She was quiet for a moment. "What do you think about going back to my suite for some alone time?"

"What about the meeting with Klaus? You wanted to be here for that," he argued.

"The meeting isn't until 3 AM. We can be back here before then. Besides, Lucy and Gemma reminded me of an old family superstition today…"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"The way you ring in the new year, is how the rest of the year will be. I want to be alone with you," she said in a hopeful voice.

Tyler grinned, "I like the way you think, Bon. But I probably shouldn't drive right now. Uber?"

She smiled and stood up. She said, "Well, we are lucky that I am painfully sober. I'll drive. Now move your ass. I want to get to the hotel before the ball drops."

Tyler grinned and took out his phone. "I'll let Brady know we are leaving."

"Good. He can tell Lucy that the suite will be occupied for a couple hours. I have had enough uninvited guests for one day," she replied.

Across the room Damon watched as his wife left the club with her boyfriend. He really wanted to murder that little son of a bitch.

Zach looked at his nephew with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great," he muttered.

Zach frowned but didn't press any further. Damon was obviously angry but he seemed to be in control. Zach said, "I am going to see if I can get a few minutes with Elijah."

"Have fun, Zio," Damon replied dryly.

The older man squeezed Damon's shoulder before he walked away.

Damon drummed his fingers on the table for several minutes before deciding he had been idle for too long. He walked across the crowded room without paying much attention to the merriment happening around him. Any other night he would be enjoying New Year's Eve but his wife's schemes left him filled with rage. He needed to find an outlet for that rage or he was liable to do something that would only cause him more problems.

He sidled up to Elena while she stood at the bar. He could see that she was on her third drink. It didn't appear that the medical school student planned to slow down anytime soon. Her glass was still half-full but she was already trying to get the bartender's attention. Damon considered Elena's appearance for a moment. The girl was strikingly beautiful but she also had a look of innocence. He hoped to use those qualities to his advantage.

Angelo watched Damon with shrewd eyes. He could tell that he was about to be sent off to the dugout. It would be no great loss because Elena was hardly giving him the time of day.

Finally, Damon nodded at Angelo to signal that he should leave them alone.

Angelo acquiesced and made himself scarce. In the beginning, he did not understand Damon's keen interest in the young woman. However, he had known there was more to the situation than his cousin was telling him. Yesterday, he learned that Elena was Tyler Lockwood's ex-girlfriend and everything clicked into place. Damon was looking for a way to punish Tyler without shedding blood. Angelo wasn't offended by the move. Marriages had been arranged for far more nefarious reasons.

Damon picked up Elena's glass of rum and coke. He drained the glass in one gulp. He said, "A woman in your condition really shouldn't be drinking so heavily."

Elena scowled as she looked at Damon. She couldn't believe he had the nerve to take her drink and chastise her. He was the whole reason she felt the need to drown her sorrows. She asked, "In my condition? What are you talking about?"

"You're pregnant, right?" he asked leadingly. Mischief sparkled in his blue eyes.

"Are you calling me fat?" she screeched. Elena immediately looked down at her toned abdomen. She hit the gym for Crossfit three times a week even with her crazy schedule.

Damon rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. He spoke slowly, "If you are pregnant, you can't marry Angelo."

Elena blinked as she tried to follow his train of thought. She gasped, "Oh!"

Damon was relieved that the girl was finally on the same page with him. For a moment, Damon feared that he would have to spell it out for her. He said, "Tyler is a stand up type of guy. He's the type that would do the right thing, right?"

She nodded quickly. If Damon was going to give her a way out of this then she would take it."Yes, he would. He's all about honor, loyalty, and all of that. He wouldn't want to have a bastard out in the world. He proposed after we had a pregnancy scare…"

Damon took a keycard and a business card from his pocket and handed them to Elena. "Meet me at this address tomorrow at 2 o'clock. We can talk about how to get you out of this mess that Tyler caused."

Elena took the keycard and nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Damon."

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "You're welcome, sweetheart."

Elena studied the card and then tucked it into her clutch purse.

Angelo looked at Damon expectantly when he returned to their table. "I am guessing that I will soon be without a bride-to-be."

Damon grinned, "Don't worry, cousin. I am still bringing you out of exile. We'll find another pretty little thing for you to marry. I was thinking one of Jo's younger sisters might be a good target. Ric has fucked up that whole situation and Jo is divorcing him. We still need the connection with the Parker family."

Angelo perked up at the mention of the Parker Sisters. He murmured, "How is Connie doing these days?"

Damon chuckled, "I was talking about Olivia but it seems like you already have your eye on one of Joshua's daughters."

"Olivia is a little young for my taste."

"She isn't much younger than Elena is," Damon replied.

Angelo chuckled, "I am not particularly interested in Elena either. I mean she's pretty, comes from a good family, and has a good head on her shoulders. But she is still going through the bullshit that twentysomethings go through. I need that in my life like a hole in the fucking head."

Damon could see the logic in that. The age difference between Bonnie and Damon played a small part in their marriage's downfall. He replied, "Connie is a widow and she has a couple of rugrats."

He shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't bother me. I'm in my thirties. Finding a woman of a suitable age that hasn't been married and doesn't have children is something of a miracle. At least she is a widow, we can marry in the church without any hangups."

Damon said, "Let me feel things out with Joshua."

Angelo nodded. "Thanks. Do I want to know what you and Elena are getting up to."

He grinned. "Actually, I am going to need your help with my little situation. I need you to find an OB/GYN that will play ball with us. Normally, I would get Stefan to help me with this..."

"I understand. You don't want to put him in an awkward position because he is close to Bonnie and Tyler," he replied.

Damon nodded. "If this blows up in my face I don't want my brother catching shrapnel."


	63. New Year's Eve: Part 2

Bonnie dug into a carton of Butter Pecan ice cream while she waited for Tyler. They stopped at a gas station to fill up the tank before returning to the club. The couple had spent 2.5 blissful hours back at her suite. Bonnie was not ashamed to admit that one of those hours had been dedicated to a cat nap. She felt refreshed and ready to get down to business now. Her earlier meltdown felt like a distant memory. She was beginning to see the wisdom in Lucy's motto ' _a stiff dick is almost as good as a stiff drink'_.

Bonnie still looked amazing despite an extended tumble between the sheets with Tyler. She had spent time touching up her make-up and fixing her hair. Tyler had been careful not to leave any passion marks on her skin since her dress was rather revealing. She had also taken a quick shower to freshen up. It wasn't as thorough as she would have liked but it was better than nothing. Bonnie couldn't walk into a meeting looking as if she had been ridden hard and put away wet. Convincing men to take her seriously as the boss was already challenging without involving the element of sex.

She received several messages from her father before they left the hotel. He assured Bonnie that the everything was proceeding as planned. Rudy, Tommy, and Michael were at the club. They were enjoying a few drinks while talking to Klaus and Marcel. The men had been discussing their new business arrangement for almost two weeks. Tonight Klaus would get to sample the product and make his final decision. Bonnie was eager to close the deal with Klaus, but she was also interested in meeting Tommy. Rudy considered this man to be his brother. She was eager to talk to someone that didn't have a reason to hate her father. Bonnie knew that her family's opinions of Rudy were tainted because he abused Abby during their marriage. They could not find a single redeeming quality and Bonnie did not blame them for that.

Tyler climbed into the car and finished responding to a text from Mason. He locked the doors and then looked over at Bonnie with a grin.

"What?" she asked suspiciously. She didn't like the way he was eying her ice cream.

He opened his mouth expectantly.

Bonnie pouted and complained, "But you bought this ice cream for me, Ty."

Tyler corrected his girlfriend with a smile, "I bought you two pints of ice cream so that you would share a few spoonfuls with me."

Bonnie frowned at him but relented because he had a point. She was just being greedy. She fed Tyler a couple scoops of ice cream.

He licked his lips and said, "Mmmm, nutty."

She giggled and said, "I really want to insert a double entendre here but I won't."

Tyler chuckled, "Good girl, it is Sunday. What would Father Finn think of you making sexually suggestive remarks on the Lord's day?"

"I'm sure he thinks we're both going to hell considering that we spent the last few hours committing adultery," Bonnie said thoughtfully.

He started the car and said, "And he would be right but it was totally worth it."

Bonnie slapped his thigh playfully. "Ty!"

Tyler shrugged his shoulders as he pulled out of the parking lot. "I am going to hell for most of the stuff that I do. At some point, I might regret some of the sins I have committed. But being with you could never be one of those regrets."

"Are you angling for more of my ice cream? Because that is how you get more of my ice cream," Bonnie replied with a small smirk.

He waited until he hit a red light and then opened his mouth again.

She shoveled another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Bonnie understood Tyler's internal struggle. They both grew up in religious families. They both believed in the church's teachings but regularly ignored them. Somehow they had to reconcile their faith with the sins they committed for their families. Bonnie, like Tyler, had accepted that she would go to hell to pay for her sins. It was just another burden they were called to bear for their families.

Bonnie finished off the first pint of ice cream and cracked open the second one. She admitted, "You were smart to buy two pints."

He chuckled, "I am well acquainted with your legendary sweet tooth."

She held up a spoonful of ice cream. "You want?"

Tyler shook his head and pecked her cheek. "That's all you, Bon. Enjoy."

Bonnie grinned. "Thanks."

Tyler was glad that Bonnie suggested they spend a couple hours at the hotel. He felt more relaxed and ready to focus on this deal. Tyler wanted Klaus dead for what he did to Bonnie but he served at her pleasure. He would have to tolerate the son of a bitch for as long as Bonnie wanted Klaus to live. However, Tyler salivated when he thought about the moment when Klaus outlived his usefulness. Some part of Tyler hoped that he would refuse the proposal tonight, but he wasn't that lucky. Tyler would have to remember that this deal would benefit him greatly.

After his initial reluctance, he accepted Bonnie's offer to make him a capo. It was a huge step in his career. Moreover, it spoke to how much Bonnie trusted his judgement and business acumen. He knew that she wouldn't have given him the position out of sheer nepotism. Bonnie had proven that business came before her own happiness. She certainly wouldn't value Tyler's happiness above the business. He had already started assembling his crew. Tyler was cherry picking from family members and the moles that Bonnie willingly outed to the Salvatore organization. He had some other plans in the works, too. Namely, he wanted to bring a couple cousins over from Milazzo. It would help strengthen the bonds between the two families.

Bonnie finished devouring the second pint of ice cream as Tyler pulled into the club's parking lot. She tucked the empty containers into the shopping bag and tossed it into the backseat. Then she pulled down the mirror and retouched her lipstick.

Tyler had an easy time finding a parking space because the club had closed for the night. He turned off the car and looked at Bonnie. "Ready?"

She nodded. "Let's go make this money."

He climbed out the car and then walked around to Bonnie's door. He helped her out the car and made sure to set the alarm before they walked up to the main entrance.

The doors opened before they could knock.

Marcel smiled. "Welcome back. Klaus is waiting for you in the office, Mrs. Salvatore."

Tyler tensed at the mention of Damon's last name. He resisted the urge to correct Marcel. Bonnie's last name was Bennett-Salvatore.

Bonnie returned Marcel's smile. "Thanks."

The couple entered the mostly deserted club. The staff was already hard at work cleaning the main floor. Bonnie and Tyler headed toward the back of the club where Klaus' office was located.

Tyler looked up and saw that their family was still getting drunk in the VIP section. He also saw that the Mikaelson family were still celebrating, too. However, both families were merely ensuring that this meeting stayed cordial. The organizations did not have an alliance in place. Their peaceful relationship had always been dependent on the Salvatore organization serving as a go-between. Bonnie planned to change that tonight.

The spacious office was filled with gift baskets and crates of expensive champagne. Klaus had been receiving gifts for weeks to celebrate his release from prison. Eventually, he would have to figure out what to do with everything.

As the office door opened, Klaus wiped at his nose to clean away any traces of the cocaine he had snorted. Marcel, Thierry, and Kol had joined him in testing Mora's product. It was as good as advertised.

Rudy stood up when his daughter walked into the room. He embraced Bonnie and said, "Happy New Year, ketsele."

She kissed his cheek and replied, "Happy New Year, Abba. I hope we aren't late."

Klaus took a sip of his drink and allowed himself a moment to admire Bonnie's beauty. She looked stunning in that dress. He said, "Not at all. Please have a seat, Bonnie."

Andrew was standing behind his uncle feeling much too sober for having spent New Year's Eve in a nightclub. He certainly hadn't been allowed to sample the cocaine...despite Kol's encouragement.

Marcel walked into the office with Lucy and then closed the door. The club's staff knew better than to talk out of school. However, it was better to remove even the hint of temptation.

Bonnie chose to sit in a chair situated beside Klaus' desk. If Bonnie was sitting any closer to Klaus, she would be behind his desk. She didn't want to start the meeting behaving as if they were adversaries. Bonnie wanted to be business partners and friends. She crossed her legs and said, "Thank you for meeting with us, Nik."

"Well, what your father and Mr. Mora are proposing sounds interesting but I am assuming there is a catch," Niklaus said.

Michael frowned when his name wasn't mentioned. He was at least two decades older than everyone in the room. Moreover, he would be running point moving forward. He didn't care that his godson was using this deal as a way to get him out of Fremont. Michael was finally ascending to a position of prominence-where he always should have been.

She smiled and said, "I wouldn't call it a catch...it is more of an opportunity. If you start moving that much product, you will need someone to launder all of that filthy money. Your brother isn't going to be able to launder that much drug money without drawing the attention of the feds. He is going to tell you to spread the cash around to different launderers. It might work in the short-term but eventually you will need a more permanent arrangement."

Klaus nodded because Bonnie was right on all accounts. He had already discussed the particulars with Elijah. He needed his brother's approval to pursue a venture this large in scale. The Mikaelson organization didn't have the infrastructure to clean the large sums of money he would be making. Furthermore, their money laundering outfits were already working at capacity. His brother gave him a list of independent launderers they had used in the past if there was an overflow. Klaus would have to cobble together a network on the fly to make this deal work. He smiled at Bonnie because he realized that she was the motivating force behind Mora's decision to approach him. "You want to launder my money?"

Tyler extended a manila envelope to Bonnie. He had spent the last few days gathering the information necessary for this meeting.

She took the envelope and removed several sheets of paper. Bonnie passed them to Klaus. "My family has been laundering money up and down the coast for a very long time, Nik. In the last year, we have increased our capacity by 35%. We could easily handle your new influx of cash. Our business model is also flexible enough to expand if demand increases."

Andrew was intrigued by Bonnie's use of his uncle's nickname. Only family members and very close friends addressed him as 'Nik'.

Klaus skimmed the sheets of paper. Bonnie had assembled an impressive list of money laundering fronts owned by her family. He recognized some of these businesses as fronts but some of the others came as a surprise.

Marcel moved closer so that he could examine the list, too.

Bonnie continued, "That is just a sampling of our West Coast interests. As you know, we have also have business interests on the East Coast as well as in Canada and Europe."

Klaus sat back in his chair as he considered the offer. He asked, "How much is this generous offer going to cost me?"

Tyler passed Bonnie a slip of paper.

She slid the paper across the desk to him. "I know for a fact that my offer is several percentage points lower than what the Trujillos will be able to offer you. They are by far the largest independent launderers in the area. I also know that their current set up isn't large enough to handle all of the money you will start making."

Klaus opened the slip of the paper and nodded when he saw the number. He passed it along to Marcel. "This is quite generous...I'm back to looking for the catch."

Bonnie laughed softly. "There is no catch, Nik. That is what I like to call the friends and family rate. We are friends, right?"

He looked at his bandaged hand as realization struck him. She had been angling for this arrangement from the moment her goons sliced up his hand. Killing him would have been petty revenge, the smarter play was to make him an ally. He stared into her bright green eyes for a moment and returned her smile. "Yes, we are friends. How soon would you be able to start cleaning my profits?"

"We can start cleaning your money as soon as you start making it. I would love to give you a tour of some of our fronts. That way you can get a feel for our set-up," Bonnie offered.

Klaus nodded. "And if I wanted to check out your international operation. Can you travel in your condition?"

"I am clear to travel for the foreseeable future. However, Tyler, Lucy, and my cousin Cristian will be running point on this. They will be at your disposal 24/7," she replied.

Klaus felt envious when he looked at the younger man. Of course he had heard the rumors that Bonnie had taken up with the Lockwood boy. He was sure that Damon was beside himself. Klaus probably would have balked if Tyler was the only one handling his business. The boy was still wet behind the ears in his opinion. However, Lucy and Cristian's reputations preceded them. Ultimately, establishing a relationship with Bonnie's organization was just smart business for him.

"Then I believe that we have a deal, love," Klaus replied.

Bonnie stood up to shake his hand. "I am glad to hear that, Nik. I look forward to working with you."

He stood and shook Bonnie's hand. Afterwards, he turned and shook the hands of Mora's group. "When can I expect the first shipment?"

Michael spoke up before Tommy could answer the question. He said, "You can expect the first shipment in three weeks. Is that enough time for you?"

Klaus looked at Marcel for confirmation.

Marcel nodded, "That's plenty of time to get a packaging operation up and running."

Michael smiled. "Great. When we get a little closer to the date, I will contact you with the details."

"Thank you," Klaus replied.

Bonnie said, "Well, I really should be going. Will I see you at Mass later today?"

He smiled. "Yes, you will."

She gave Klaus a friendly hug and said, "Good. Please, call me whenever you are ready to set up your tour. You have my number, right?"

"That I do," he replied.

Lucy said, "I will make sure that you have all of our numbers."

Klaus smiled. "Great."

Bonnie hugged Rudy. "I'll see you back at Mama's house, right?"

"Of course, ketsele," he replied.

"I hope I see you there too, Mr. Mora. I look forward to picking your brain about dear old dad," she said with an impish smile.

Tommy's coal black hair was beginning to gray at the temples. He said, "I look forward to that conversation."

Bonnie gave a parting wave as she exited the office. She could not be more pleased with how things worked out tonight.

Tyler whistled loudly as they entered the main part of the club. He rotated his finger in the air to signal it was time to go. He took Bonnie's hand and asked, "Did you want to stop anywhere before going back to Abby's house?"

She shook her head. "I know that Mama and the kids are safe, but I would really like to lay eyes on them right now."

"I don't blame you," he muttered softly.

Tyler knew that Bonnie was still shaken by what happened earlier. She tried to act as if her childhood didn't haunt her, but he knew better. Unfortunately, she kept that pain locked up like Fort Knox. It would take more time and privacy than they currently had to pry the truth out of Bonnie. He just hoped that in the coming days she would be willing to talk honestly.

Bonnie's entourage exited the club and climbed into the armored SUVs. They were all going back to Abby's house for a somewhat subdued after party.

Gemma, Lucy, and Cristian climbed into the back of the car Tyler was driving.

Once they were on the road, Bonnie drummed her hands against the dashboard and let out an exhilarated scream.

Lucy cackled and said, "That is how you fucking do business! I am proud of you, baby girl! So damn proud!"

"We all are," Tyler added with a grin.

Bonnie giggled and said, "I couldn't have done it without everyone playing their parts. Y'all know that I loved Grams but she was too focused on the Salvatore family."

Cristian nodded in agreement. His grandfather had lamented the situation for a long time. Sheila had been obsessed with accomplishing her mother's plan to rob the Salvatore family blind. However, Emily's plan came with a cost. Cristian hoped that Bonnie would be the first in her line to escape without paying the toll.

"Preach!" Lucy replied.

"I still plan for my son to one day take over that organization. But I am going to make sure that the one I was born into...reaches new heights. We do that by making new alliances and expanding," Bonnie declared.

Gemma grinned from the backseat. "You have your foot in the door with the Mikaelsons, cugine. What is next?"

"The most important thing is getting Aunt Ayana into the CEO position at Velocita. I can't believe that Grams made that concession during the merger," Bonnie complained.

Lucy said, "Damon has been uncharacteristically calm about the whole thing."

"I know. His silence has me worried. I shouldn't have given him an opportunity to step down. I should have just sprung the no-confidence vote on him," she replied.

Cristian said, "You took the high road."

She sighed, "Yes, but taking the high road might have fucked up everything."

Lucy said, "Maybe but we still have enough votes to oust Damon."

Bonnie said, "I am not worried about unseating him. The shit I can leak to the tabloids will be enough to get the board to vote him out. I saved all the slutty text messages and pictures Katherine sent me over the years. It would be humiliating for everyone involved but I am willing to do what is necessary to wrest control of Velocita away from the Salvatore family."

Lucy looked uncertain. "That's nuclear as fuck, Bon. Are you sure about that?"

"I would give Damon a heads up so that he can do the right thing," she replied.

Lucy glanced at Gemma and Cristian but didn't respond. Bonnie was obviously pissed because of Damon's stunt earlier.

Cristian said, "Here's hoping it won't come to that."

Bonnie said, "I am more concerned that Damon will try to put one of his fucking uncles into the top spot. Ric is a sack of shit…"

"But Zach has the reputation as an upstanding citizen," Lucy added.

Bonnie nodded. "He's also been working at Velocita for about fifteen years. He ran point on the merger between Velocita and BTS. Zach has the bona fides to get the CEO position without any underhanded maneuvers on Damon's part. If he was smart…"

"And he is," Lucy reluctantly admitted.

"If Damon was smart he would agree to step down and immediately nominate Zach to take his place," the younger woman finished with a scowl.

Tyler scowled and said, "That makes the votes we've worked our asses off to secure completely useless. The same people that wouldn't think twice about ousting Damon, might be inclined to promote Zach to the big chair."

Bonnie said, "Then we're fucked because Zach's learning curve will be smaller than Aunt Ayana's would be. He's been the COO since the merger. While she's been the executive vice president."

Lucy argued, "Aunt Ayana was the COO of BTS before the merger."

"That is an argument that would be made before the shareholders but there are no guarantees the votes would go our way," she replied.

Cristian said, "We can be sure that our people will vote our way but the rest are up in the air…"

Gemma pondered aloud, "Perhaps they could be persuaded."

"It might be the simplest solution but there could be fall out. Resorting to blackmail could convince the members to vote against us. Besides, Velocita is clean and we should keep it that way."

Lucy said, "There is more than one way to skin a cat, baby girl. Persuasion doesn't always have to be blackmail. Everyone has a price…"

"Maybe." Bonnie shook her head. "We need a plan B in case Damon tries to fuck me over on this. If Zach is promoted, we need to make sure Aunt Ayana takes his former position."

Tyler said, "I'll talk to my old man about it."

She looked at Lucy. "Get Mama and Aunt Geneva involved, too. They have a better grasp on everyone in our family that owns voting shares in Velocita."

"Okay," Lucy agreed.

Tyler pulled into the driveway at Abby's house and turned off the car.

Everyone exited the car and headed into house.

Despite the late hour, music was playing and the kids were wide awake. Bonnie shouldn't have been surprised. The kids had napped well into the evening. The emotional afternoon had worn them out.

Sarah grinned when Bonnie walked into the living room. She scrambled off Geneva's lap and rushed into her mother's arms. "Mama!"

Bonnie lifted Sarah up and hugged her tight. "What are you doing awake, bambolina?'

"Nonna is gonna cook breakfast. She said we can help," Sarah said with a giggle.

"Well, that sounds like fun. You know my nonna used to do the same thing when I was a little girl."

"Really?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yep. She would wake me up in the middle of the night and we would cook something yummy together. Where is Nonna now?"

"She had to change Savannah's diaper," Sarah explained.

Bonnie smiled and kissed the top of her head. She sat down and held Sarah on her lap. "What else did you do tonight?"

"Papa brought me gift. I've got my very own phone now, Mama," Sarah said excitedly.

"That was very nice of your papa. Now you can call him whenever you want. Where is your phone? I would love to see it, bambolina," Bonnie said.

"It's upstairs. I'll go get it," said Sarah as she hopped down.

"Don't run," Bonnie said.

"Okay, Mama," Sarah said with a pouty lip.

Bonnie chuckled. "That isn't going to work on me. Walk to go get your phone, please."

Sarah walked out of the room. However, seconds later her quickened footsteps could be heard going upstairs.

Bonnie shook her head. "That little girl is going to be the death of me."

Geneva chuckled, "That one has spirit."

"How have things been here?" she asked.

"Quiet," Geneva replied.

Bonnie lowered her voice so that she didn't attract her younger brother's attention. "How is Jamie doing?

Cooper, Gianni, and Maurizio were playing 'Go Fish' across the room.

Geneva's expression darkened. "He still hasn't been out of his room."

Bonnie sighed deeply. "How is Mama coping?"

"Ric would be missing if Gianni hadn't been here to settle her down. He had the nerve to call earlier with an apology," Geneva explained with a glare.

"But he didn't show up here?" she asked.

Geneva asked, "Do you smell any bleach?"

Bonnie cracked a small smile. "Point taken."

Sarah returned with a smartphone protected by a purple cover. "Isn't it pretty, Mama?"

She smiled, "It is very pretty."

She opened the phonebook and showed Bonnie all the important numbers. "Look there is your number, Mama."

Bonnie kissed the top of her head. "You can call me whenever you need me. And if I don't answer right away, then I will call you back as soon as I can. Okay?"

"Okay," Sarah said with a nod.

"There are a few more numbers that you should have. Like Aunt Lucy. Oh, we should put my daddy's number in there, too," Bonnie said as she added the numbers.

Sarah grinned as she watched Bonnie. "Who else?"

"What about Aunt Geneva? You can call her sometimes once she goes back home to Miami. I bet she would like to hear from you."

"Yeah!"

Cooper looked over his shoulder. "Sarah, we're gonna play Chutes and Ladders now!"

Sarah's eyes went wide. "I wanna go play, Mama."

Bonnie kissed the top of her head. "Go play. I will finish putting more numbers in the phone. Then I will put it back in your room."

She grinned and then raced over to the card table.

Bonnie stood up with the phone in her hand. She passed it off to Tyler. "I need a favor. Make sure that this lovely gift from Damon is harmless…"

Tyler nodded. "I've got it."

She smiled and squeezed his hand discreetly. Bonnie walked upstairs to find her mother. However, she passed Jamie's closed bedroom door first. She lightly knocked on the door. "Jamie…"

There was no response on the other side of the door.

"I don't know if you are awake or not, but I just wanted to say that I am here for you. If you want to talk or go for a ride. We could go out back and shoot hoops. Anyway, I love you, kiddo," she said to the closed door.

Abby walked out of the nursery with the baby monitor. She asked, "Any luck?"

Bonnie shook her head. She hugged Abby. "He'll come around, Mama. He just has a lot to process."

She sighed. "It never should have happened."

Bonnie said, "I'm sorry."

Abby gave a humorless laugh. "This whole thing is my fault. Feel like coming down to the kitchen with me? I am going to start breakfast. Then I need to start cleaning the greens for today."

The Bennett family always ate collard greens and black eyed peas for lunch on New Year's day for good luck and prosperity.

"Sure. I will keep you company," Bonnie replied.

The two women walked downstairs.

Bonnie's phone buzzed. She checked her messages.

 **Jamie: Love u 2**

 **Bonnie: Wanna talk?**

 **Jamie: No. But I'm hungry**

 **Bonnie: I'll bring you something to eat but I won't tell Mama**

 **Jamie: Thanx**

Abby asked, "Anything important?"

"I don't know yet…" she replied.


	64. Happy Families

Damon rubbed his temples as he sat in the living room. He had a splitting headache but his loving family did not seem to care. The children were being particularly rambunctious this morning. They had even worked the puppies into a barking frenzy. The constant noise convinced him to add a little whiskey to his morning cup of coffee. Starting the day sober just wasn't in the cards for the mob boss. He winced when his niece let out a particularly shrill scream. He might have been concerned if the scream wasn't immediately followed by equally loud peals of laughter. Damon wanted to be angry with the little terrors but they were merely behaving as children did. Besides, it was his fault that he had a hangover. Damon had overindulged last night after his encounter with Bonnie.

He loved Bonnie more than she would ever believe but she had a way of getting under his skin. Everything about the encounter last night left him simmering with rage. Perhaps the only highlight of the night was Bonnie's expression when she saw Elena. Damon was pleased to know that targeting Tyler's ex-fiance was the right button to push. He was still learning what ways he could agitate Bonnie without arguing with her. However, his win had been short lived because his wife left the club with her boyfriend. To make matters worse, she returned to the club hours later and secured a major money laundering deal with Klaus. The money her organization would be pulling down was almost incidental when compared to the new business relationship with the Mikaelson organization.

Damon picked up the thick stack of papers that Rose had dropped on his lap not thirty minutes ago. She had diligently assembled the information he requested the morning after his father's funeral. Today was a national holiday and a Sunday, but Rose had accepted that holidays and weekends did not apply to her. If she wanted some time off, she would have to take a vacation. Damon tried to respect Rose's privacy on the rare occasions that she decided to go on vacation. He always managed to survive without her but he was just better with his Girl Friday at his side. He certainly needed her help now. Damon had come to the realization that he had to step down as Velocita's CEO.

Damon had been blindsided by Bonnie's demand for his resignation. In the beginning, he considered forcing his wife to bring the matter before the board. Fortunately, after a good night's sleep he had thought better of playing a game of chicken with an asset that was vitally important to both families. Damon knew that resigning was the best thing for the company, even if Bonnie was acting partly out of spite. He certainly couldn't blame her for trying to get her pound of flesh from him. Watching Bonnie with Tyler was driving him mad and it had only been happening for a few weeks. He couldn't imagine how she felt after suffering through four years of his infidelity.

Damon was now building a strategy to name Zach as the new CEO. His uncle was the obvious choice to replace him. However, Bonnie had been several steps ahead of him from the outset. He had to find some way to regain the advantage. Preventing Bonnie's aunt from becoming CEO of Velocita was the first rung on the ladder. Damon trusted that the board of directors would make the right decision. However, there was a clause in the company's bylaws that allowed shareholders with voting shares to weigh-in if the board could not choose a successor by absolute majority. He needed to formulate a backup plan on the likely chance that the shareholders had an opportunity to vote. Unfortunately, he had not paid attention to the ways in which voting shares had changed hands since the merger. Voting shares were distributed to members of the Bennett and Salvatore families after the merger. The terms of the merger prevented voting shares from being sold or transferred to people outside their families. It was the only way to ensure Velocita could never suffer a hostile takeover from outside forces. Damon had a sneaking suspicion that Bonnie and her family had been snapping up voting shares whenever they became available. The information Rose had just provided him bore that out. Now he had to find a way to ensure the vote never made it to the shareholders.

Stefan walked into the room with a cup of coffee. He had a seat on the couch with his older brother. Stefan said, "I didn't expect to see you awake so early this morning."

Damon chuckled and said, "My wife is making my life very difficult. I can't just lie around in bed all day long."

The younger man frowned. He asked, "Did something happen last night?"

"No, we didn't get into a fight if that is what you are asking. Bonnie and I were perfectly civil considering the bullshit Ric pulled yesterday. Have you seen him this morning?"

Stefan shook his head at the mention of Ric. He couldn't believe that their uncle had been so out of control yesterday. He said, "Yeah. I checked on him not long ago. His face has seen better days but he seems mostly sober. Aunt Meredith is going to take a look at him later. He thinks that you broke his nose."

Damon shrugged and said, "Ric is lucky that all I did was smack him around a little. He scared the shit out of my wife and kid...not to mention his own children."

"Any word on how they are doing?"

"Sarah was still pretty shaken when I went to see her last night. She had a lot of questions about why Ric was screaming at Abby. As if my kid hasn't been through enough after witnessing Giuseppe attack her mother. Now she has to deal with this shit, too?"

Stefan nodded. He was worried about his niece. She had experienced a great deal of trauma and upheaval in such a short time period. He asked, "What about Jamie?"

"I tried to talk to Jamie but he wouldn't open his bedroom door. I don't blame him. A month ago, he accidentally learns that Ric is his father. Now he knows that his old man is a son of a bitch with a nasty temper. I don't know which part I would hate him for more," he confessed.

Stefan shook his head and sighed. "I am going to call Abby later. I want to see if I can take the twins over to play with Cooper. I want to make sure her kids know that they are part of this family. They are Salvatores, too."

He snorted, "Their lives would probably be better if they weren't."

"True but in life you have to play the cards you are dealt," Stefan replied.

Damon glanced at his younger brother for a moment. "There's something that I want to ask you. I'm not angry...just curious."

"About what?" he asked suspiciously.

"When did you first suspect that something was going on between Bonnie and Tyler?" he asked.

Stefan rolled his eyes in exasperation. He said, "We are not going down this road again. To my knowledge, Bonnie waited until she moved out of the manor to pursue Tyler."

"That isn't what I asked you, Stef."

He shrugged. "I don't know what you want me to say, Damon. I only know as much as Bonnie and Tyler have told me. I'm not exactly the person they would confide in for obvious reasons. All I know is that it is serious."

"What do you mean serious?" he asked.

Stefan said, "Again, they haven't told me anything but I see the signs. Everytime I see Bonnie, she is wearing Tyler's Saint Christopher medal. Tyler never took it off from the moment Richard put it on him the day his grandfather died. The old man was wearing it when he was killed, it has real meaning to their family."

Damon felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He had noticed the Saint Christopher's medal around his wife's neck but didn't understand the meaning until now. He could remember her grasping the medal when she was upset or overwhelmed. Damon struggled to remember when the medal had first made its appearance. Since Sheila's death, Bonnie had worn her grandmother's crucifix necklace every day. She only took it off if they were going to a fancy event. Damon was enraged but more determined than ever. Tyler's reverence for his grandfather's memory was exactly why his plot with Elena would succeed. Tyler had been raised in the old ways and would never abandon his responsibilities.

"Damon?" Stefan asked cautiously.

Damon snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Thanks for being honest with me. I was just wondering after seeing them together. It hardly looks like a new relationship."

"Well, they have been friends for a long time. And now we know that their families have been intertwined for years. It would be weird if they weren't really close," Stefan reasoned.

Damon nodded. "You know Bonnie better than I do…"

Stefan winced, "I know it costs you to admit that."

"Do you think Bonnie could forgive me?"

Stefan looked thoughtful. "I think she could forgive you in time. Bonnie loves you."

Damon was glad to hear someone else echo his beliefs. "Put in a good word for me?"

"Absolutely not," Stefan replied with a small smile. "I don't want to land myself on Bonnie's shit list. You fucked up for four years and now you have to take your lumps."

He snorted, "Thanks for the support, you little asshole."

Stefan shrugged and grinned. "You're welcome."

He glanced at the stack of papers and groaned. His head was hurting too bad to start reading again.

The younger man cleared his throat. "Mom invited me to dinner tonight. She wanted me to let you know that you are invited, too."

Damon shook his head. "I'll pass. I have no interest in spending time with that woman and she knows that."

"I figured that would be your answer but I had to ask," he replied.

"It's not fair of her to put you in the middle of this. Lilly knows how to get in contact with me."

Stefan shrugged. "She thought you might be more inclined to agree if the invitation came from me. I am not trying to pressure you, Damon. I understand why you don't want a relationship with Mom. I won't ask again."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Damon looked at his watch and sighed. The aspirin he had taken wasn't doing anything to relieve his hangover. He said, "I need to get Victor ready to go. Bonnie and Sarah are going to meet us for lunch after Mass."

"That's gotta be a good sign, right?" he asked.

He smiled, "She's willing to make an effort for Sarah. I suppose it is better than being in the middle of a custody battle."

"Do you want me to get Victor ready for you?" he asked.

Damon shook his head and picked up the briefcase sitting beside his feet. Damon tucked the documents into the briefcase and then locked it. He didn't feel like dealing with the fallout if that information fell into the wrong hands. "No, I can handle wrangling one toddler."

Stefan quipped, "Famous last words."

He smirked at his younger brother as he sent a text to his driver. Then Damon followed the squeals and laughter to the playroom on the main floor.

He found the children chasing each other in a lively game of tag. The puppies were nipping at their heels and yapping happily.

Damon spotted his baby brother and easily scooped him up while in mid-stride.

Victor looked up at Damon with a big grin.

"Hey, little guy. You and me are going to blow this popsicle stand for awhile," Damon explained.

Victor seemed confused but merely hooked an arm around his brother's neck and waited to be carried to a new destination.

Damon kissed the top of the boy's head and walked upstairs to the bedroom that Victor and Nico were sharing. He playfully dropped the toddler on his bed and smiled at the giggles that followed.

Victor got onto his feet and started jumping up and down on the bed.

Damon put his briefcase on the floor and said, "No jumping on the bed, kiddo. You could fall."

Victor stopped jumping and plopped down on the bed. "K."

Damon opened the dresser and pulled out clothes that would be appropriate for the restaurant where they would be eating lunch. He sat on the bed and helped Victor dress in a pair of khaki pants, a light blue button up shirt, and a dark blue v-neck sweater. Then he helped Victor put on his shoes.

He stood up and grabbed a bag from the closet. He said, "I want you to grab some toys. We will be out of the house for awhile and I want you to have some cool stuff to play with. Okay?"

Victor nodded. He hopped off the bed and ran over to his toy chest. He had received tons of new toys for Christmas. He choose a bucket of blocks, a Thomas the Tank Engine, a mini drum, a bag of dinosaurs, and a Cabbage Patch doll.

Damon watched his brother carry each item over to the bed and deposit it into his bag. He couldn't help but smile. Slowly Victor was coming of his shell. Part of Damon wondered if the boy was just naturally shy or if it was something more. He didn't know what Victor had witnessed or experienced in the time he was with Giuseppe. However, Rose had scheduled a battery of tests to determine Victor's overall health and development. The appointment was on Friday. It would answer many of the questions that no one else could.

Damon asked, "C'est tout?"

Victor nodded. "Yea."

Damon decided to grab a couple books, Victor's favorite bear, and a clean change of clothes. He knew from experience that kids were disasters waiting to happen. He tossed everything into the bag.

"Allons-y, petit frere," Damon said as he picked up the bag and his briefcase.

Victor reached up and took Damon's hand.

He smiled at his younger brother and walked out to the waiting SUV with him. He handed his briefcase and Victor's bag to the driver. Then he focused on getting the toddler buckled into his car seat.

Afterwards, Damon climbed into the car and closed the door. The plan was to spend an hour at lunch with Bonnie and Sarah. Then he would meet with Elena to discuss the pregnancy ruse. He needed to be sure that the girl was truly on board with the idea. Elena agreed last night but she had been drinking. This wasn't something that she could choose to abandon once the ball was truly rolling. Damon was also worried about Angelo's ability to find an OB/GYN willing to help. Tyler might be skeptical if Elena suddenly turned up pregnant. They would need fake test results and ultrasound pictures to really sell this.

Damon said, "Put something on that he will enjoy, please."

The driver nodded, "Yes, sir."

A few moments later, the screen in the backseat came to life. An episode of Paw Patrol began playing.

Victor popped his thumb into his mouth and immediately began watching the episode.

Damon ruffled the boy's hair and then took out his phone. He had a couple dozen messages to return. Rose wasn't the only one that didn't get days off from work. Damon was loathed to admit that Bonnie was right. There weren't enough hours in the day for him to manage his many responsibilities. His life would be simpler once he got his uncle into the CEO seat at Velocita. Part of him wondered if Bonnie would be willing to compromise. However, offering a compromise would mean showing his hand. Damon wasn't willing to give up his advantage just yet.

Ten minutes later, Victor said, "Dame!"

Damon tore his eyes away from the phone to look at his little brother. The boy rarely spoke his name and never at that volume. "What's wrong?"

"Yook!" Victor insisted. He pointed at a massive Santa Claus in front of a business.

Damon smiled and said, "Yeah, that's Santa Claus."

"Tres grand!"

He chuckled and said, "He is a very big Santa Claus."

Damon decided to put away his phone and focus his attention on Victor. If his baby brother wanted to talk, then he would talk to him. They spent the rest of the car ride talking about the different things Victor saw out the window. They moved seamlessly between English and French and it put a smile on Damon's face.

The car pulled up in front of the restaurant some time later. Damon helped Victor out of his car seat and they walked into the restaurant.

Damon walked up to the hostess. "I believe there should be a reservation under the name Bennett."

The woman smiled. "Yes, Mr. Salvatore. The rest of your party has already arrived. Please, follow me."

Damon followed the hostess to a table in a more secluded area of the restaurant. There was only one other occupied table in the area. Damon immediately recognized the other patrons as members of Bonnie's organization. He was glad that she was taking security seriously.

Sarah beamed when her father came into view. "Papa!"

Damon swept his little girl into a tight hug the moment she raced over to him. He placed her back on the ground and said, "Hi, bambolina."

She turned her attention to little Victor and immediately hugged him.

Bonnie smiled as she watched the two children greet each other. She waved at Victor. She was glad to see that Damon was taking an active role in his brother's life. She could tell that he truly cared about the little boy.

Damon took a moment to appreciate Bonnie's more demure attire. She was wearing an olive green sweater dress and leather boots. He said, "Thank you for agreeing to lunch."

She shrugged. "I rarely pass up a chance to eat these days."

"Well, you are eating for three," he said. Damon helped Victor get settled at the table as Sarah climbed into her chair.

She chuckled softly, "I guess that is as good an excuse as any. However, I might just be a bit greedy. I think my body is making up for lost time."

Damon didn't know how to respond to that. He cleared his throat. "What's good here? I can't say that I have ever eaten here."

Bonnie slid the menu over to him and said, "Sarah and I have already ordered but the kitchen is holding them until you order. The bone-in ribeye is probably my favorite thing on the menu. The Branzino is delicious, too."

He studied the menu and said, "I hope that we didn't keep you two waiting too long. I tried to time our arrival…"

She smiled, "Father Finn kept Mass mercifully short this morning. I am sure he knew most of his parishioners were a little under the weather…"

"I was surprised that you went to Mass this morning. You had a late night from what I hear," Damon admitted.

"Grams always said that if you can party on Saturday night, then you can worship on Sunday morning. Besides, I make an effort not to miss Holy Days of Obligation," she explained.

Damon smiled because Giuseppe had a similar rule about work. He didn't care how drunk or high Damon got the previous night. He had always expected his son to show up ready to represent the family. He studied the menu and decided what he wanted. Then he quietly talked to Victor to figure out what he might like to eat.

He was ready to order by the time a waiter arrived. "I'll have the bone-in ribeye cooked medium. I want the creamed spinach, baked potato, and wedge salad to go with it. I also want the grilled chicken burger with potato wedges for him."

"Would you like anything to drink?" the waiter asked.

Damon considered choosing from the impressive cocktail menu. However, drinking around Bonnie probably wasn't the best idea. He said, "I'll take take a glass of Malbec for myself and an apple juice for my brother."

"Very good, sir." He turned to Bonnie and said, "The appetizers you ordered will be arriving in a few moments, Ms. Bennett."

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Campbell."

The man nodded in her direction and hurried away to place Damon and Victor's orders with the kitchen.

Bonnie asked, "Did you get my e-mail with the link for our shared calendar? I highlighted all the important dates for the rest of the month. I figured you could fill in any days or times that you want to get Sarah. This way we will have an idea of any plans where she is concerned. I'll also add any doctor's appointments as they are made."

Damon pulled out his phone and opened the e-mail. "Yes, I got it this morning. Thank you for putting something like this together."

"You are welcome. I also cc'd Rose so that she has access to the calendar, too."

"That's even better," he admitted.

Bonnie bit her lip and grasped the Saint Christopher's medal around her neck. "Would it be okay if Sarah showed Victor the aquarium? It's just over there."

Damon frowned when he noticed her nervous tic. He nodded and helped Victor out of his chair. "Go ahead, bambolina."

Sarah hopped down and excitedly took Victor's hand. "Come on!"

Bonnie reminded her daughter, "Be gentle with him, bambolina. He's smaller than you are."

"I will be gentle, Mama," Sarah promised.

Damon watched as Sarah led Victor across the room to the large aquarium display. He turned his attention to Bonnie. "Is everything okay?"

She nodded. "Everything is fine, but there is something that I want to talk about with you. I'm not sure how you will react so it was best to have this conversation without little ears being present."

"Okay. What's on your mind?"

Bonnie said, "I don't know if you had a chance to really look at the calendar yet. I have tickets for a Warriors game next weekend. I'm taking Sarah and my brothers to the game. Ty is coming with us. He's bringing Nikki and his nephews, too. The plan is to watch the game Friday night and stay over at a hotel. The next day we'll do some tourist-y shit before coming home."

Damon's eyes hardened. He asked, "Are you asking for my permission?"

"No, but I don't want to lie to you. Besides, we'll be courtside and it is a nationally televised game. There is a chance we might get caught by the cameras," she explained.

Damon prepared to lay into Bonnie but paused when the waiter returned with the appetizers. He muttered, "Thank you."

Bonnie said, "Thank you."

The waiter nodded and left the couple alone.

"I don't care what the fuck you and Tyler do in your spare time but my daughter isn't part of that," he snapped.

"What exactly do you think is going to happen on this trip, Damon? We're going to a game and doing some sightseeing. I've already booked the presidential suite at the Ritz. My brothers and Tyler's nephews will take one room. Nikki, Sarah, and I will take the other. Ty is going to camp out on the couch."

Damon faltered because he had jumped to the wrong conclusion. He said, "I'm sorry. I thought you were planning to tell Sarah about…"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, I'm not ready for that. I want to wait at least six months before I have that conversation with Sarah."

He relaxed even more because there was no way Bonnie would still be with Tyler in six months. Damon would make damn sure of that. "Uh, thank you for keeping me in the loop."

"I meant what I said about us being co-parents, Damon. I want us to be the kind of partners that can talk to each other. I know my relationship with Tyler isn't easy for you but I'm not trying to be a bitch. I'm not trying to rub it in your face," she replied.

He chuckled darkly. "No, you just flaunt your relationship at the nightclub…"

Bonnie said, "I had no way of knowing you would be there last night, Damon. Anyway, we were only dancing together. It wasn't anything salacious."

"You have never danced that way with me," he said in a somewhat bitter voice.

"You never took me to a nightclub," she argued in a quiet voice.

Damon scowled but he knew that she had a point. He had been dead set against Bonnie going to clubs and bars even after she turned 21-years-old. He just didn't think it was appropriate behavior for his wife. He muttered, "It is safe to say that I had some fucked up ideas about what a good wife should be."

"I can't imagine where you got those ideas," she quipped with a small smile.

Damon said, "I keep thinking that if you had just told me the truth that everything would have been different. But that's a lie. I mean I would have gotten on board eventually because I love you but it would have been a struggle."

She smiled sadly. "I think our failed marriage was the push I needed to be the person I am now."

"And who are you now?" he asked curiously.

She said, "I am the person that is not the least bit concerned about your feelings where business is concerned. If I was still in love with you, I don't think I would have the ability to be ruthless with you. I was always so worried that you wouldn't love me back if I disappointed you. Now I just don't care."

Damon frowned because that was the last thing he wanted to hear.

Bonnie reached out and took his hand. "That's just the business side of things, Damon. I guess what I mean is that I am able to compartmentalize things now. I can snatch out your heart on a business deal and still comfort you on the day of your father's funeral."

"I appreciated that comfort...right up until you tried to force me out of my own company," he said with a smirk.

"Business versus personal, mio amore," she replied with a grin.

Damon cocked his head to the side. "I don't know….it felt a little personal, Bunny."

She said, "My wanting you to step down isn't personal. I think that you are too busy to properly address Velocita's needs. Bringing it up at the meeting and catching you off guard...well that was definitely personal. You embarrassed me at the nightclub. I just wanted to return the favor."

Damon chuckled. "You did that…"

Bonnie smiled wryly.

"Since we're in a relatively good mood, I would like to suggest something," he said.

"Okay."

He asked, "What would you think of a doing a weekly family dinner with Sarah and Victor? Nadia would join us whenever I can negotiate that with Katherine."

Bonnie felt uncertain about agreeing to spend so much time with Damon. However, she couldn't deny that the idea would benefit their daughter. She asked, "What if we make Sunday lunch a weekly thing?"

"That could work. You wouldn't feel strange about Nadia being there?" he asked worriedly.

Bonnie shook her head. "Her mother is a hateful whore but Nadia is an innocent little girl. The few times I have met her, she has been nothing short of precious. I want Sarah to have a strong relationship with her sister. I think it is really important."

"Thank you, Bunny."

She smiled. "Thank you for suggesting it, Damon."

Sarah and Victor ran back to the table. The little boy babbled, "Dame! Fishies!"

He chuckled and picked up his brother. "You like the fish, huh?"

She helped Sarah reach the appetizers on the table and said, "Be careful or you will be adding tropical fish to the menagerie you already have at the manor."

Damon groaned and placed Victor in his chair. "Don't remind me. You should have heard the racket that the puppies and the kids were making this morning. I was this close to locking myself in the office."

Bonnie chuckled as she imagined Damon suffering through the noise. Her mother's house was rarely quiet. There were fewer people living in the house but the space was much smaller. She placed a few appetizers on Victor's plate for him to try.

Sarah pouted as she munched on a stuffed mushroom. "I miss my puppies."

Bonnie said, "I'm sorry, bambolina. Maybe you can spend some time at the Manor with your papa today."

"Can I, Papa?"

Damon tensed because he was meeting with Elena after lunch. Victor was still young enough that he wouldn't have a clue what was being discussed. Sarah was older and particularly observant. Moreover, his sweet little girl couldn't keep a secret to save her life. She might inadvertently mention something to Bonnie and ruin Damon's plans before they even got started. However, he didn't feel right about missing an opportunity to spend time with his daughter.

He said, "I actually have a meeting after lunch. It is about a new project and I can't really reschedule it. But I could always pick up Sarah afterwards. Would you like to spend the night at my house, bambolina?"

Sarah said, "Yeah. I wanna see Bella and Nico."

He looked to Bonnie. "Is that okay?"

Bonnie nodded. "Sure. I didn't have anything planned for today. It is probably best that Sarah comes home with me first anyway. She could probably use a nap. Then I can pack an overnight bag for her."

"I don't need a nap, Mama," she argued.

Bonnie smiled. "Well, I need a nap and you are my nap buddy. Right?"

She nodded. "Mama needs lots of rest for the babies."

"Really?" Damon asked.

Sarah said, "Yep. I have to help her rest."

"And she does a great job of it," Bonnie said with a grin.

Soon the waiter arrived with their meals.

Damon enjoyed having lunch with his little family. He watched the way Bonnie coaxed Victor into speaking about the fish from the aquarium and his new toys. Sarah told Damon all about staying up late to play Chutes & Ladders with her 'uncles'. The only person missing was Nadia. He would be sure to rectify that in the future. More accurately, he would have Rose negotiate with Katherine. He was doing his best to keep his distance from his former mistress. She was definitely his kryptonite. They had too much history and Katherine knew how to push all the right buttons.

After lunch Damon paid the bill despite Bonnie's protests. They were still married and he wasn't going dutch with his wife in public. Then he walked Bonnie and Sarah out to their car.

He hugged Sarah and then kissed Bonnie's cheek. "Thank you for meeting me for lunch."

She said, "It was surprisingly pleasant. I look forward to doing this again."

"Next Sunday, right?" he asked.

Bonnie nodded. "We'll be back from San Francisco in time for Mass Sunday morning. We can meet wherever you want for lunch."

He said, "Here is good. I think I want another crack at that ribeye."

She chuckled. "You didn't finish all of it today."

"Which is why I need another crack at it, Bunny. Besides, you can just take my leftovers home again," he nodded toward the takeout bag in her hand.

Bonnie chuckled and said, "Blame your children. They have turned me ravenous."

Damon placed his hand on her stomach and said, "Doesn't sound so bad to me."

She shook her head with a wry smile. She asked, "What time will you pick up Sarah?"

"Uh, around 4 o'clock. Is that okay?" he asked.

"Sure. That's plenty of time for a nap," she replied.

Damon picked up his cranky little brother. It seemed Sarah and Bonnie weren't the only ones due for a nap. He said, "I'll see you then."

Bonnie gave a wave and climbed into the back of the SUV with Sarah.

One of the guards closed her door and then climbed into the passenger side.

Damon watched the SUV speed out of the parking lot. Then he climbed into his waiting car. Damon buckled Victor into his car seat. Once the driver was in position, he said, "We're going to the Claiborne"

The man nodded. "Yes, sir."

Damon maintained a suite at the Claiborne for the nights he wanted to be away from home. Some nights he had a female guest but there were times when he just wanted to be alone. The hotel was on the opposite side of town from the Rischard where Katherine lived. He never wanted to accidentally run into her while out with another woman. Until recently, Damon thought he was juggling his wife, mistress, and side pieces admirably. Now he knew that Bonnie had been onto him from the very beginning.


	65. Acceptable Loss

Damon closed the suite's door after accepting the room service he ordered. He had ordered a hot pot of coffee and an array of pastries with his tardy companion in mind. He had received a call from Elena about ten minutes ago. The young woman apologized profusely for running late to their meeting. She had overslept but promised to arrive as soon as she could. Damon told Elena that she should take her time. There was no need for her to speed and risk getting into an accident. The meeting would start whenever she arrived. Damon didn't have to pick up Sarah until 4 o'clock.

In hindsight, Damon realized that he should have scheduled the meeting for later in the day. Elena had hit the bottle pretty hard last night. She had tried and failed to drown her sorrows in colorful cocktails. Damon had cut her off when she started stumbling on the dance floor. Angelo had a hell of a time getting the drunk girl home last night. It would seem that she wasn't used to partying as hard as she did. Frankly, Elena's behavior gave credence to Angelo's concerns about her maturity. Angelo hoped this scheme would work so that he wouldn't be forced to marry her.

Damon would put his cousin's mind to rest over drinks later in the evening. Last night, he decided that Angelo marrying Constanza Parker would be more useful to the family. He wanted to find a way to strengthen the relationship between the Salvatore and Gilbert families but Elena was not the only way to do that. Her younger brother was a much better prospect. Fortunately, Damon had many pretty cousins that would prove to be suitable matches for the boy. His second cousin, Greta, was at the top of the list. She was junior at UCLA and spent her summers interning at their family's construction company.

He walked to the suite's one bedroom and peered inside at his slumbering brother. He had put Victor down for a nap not long after they arrived. Damon was glad to see the animated movie playing on television had helped lull the boy to sleep. Victor was a sweet kid but he could become as cranky as any other sleep deprived toddler. Damon slowly backed out of the room but he left the door open. Victor was still skittish about waking up alone. It was fortunate that he was able to share a room with Nico at the manor. Damon's nephew and niece had taken Victor under their wing immediately. He was glad to see that Sarah was fond of him, too. Victor deserved to be surrounded by the family Giuseppe had denied him.

Damon walked back to the couch and sat down. His blue eyes roamed the paper stacked neatly on the coffee table. He had studied the information carefully and was not pleased with what he found. Damon's suspicions had been right. The Bennett family had been buying up voting shares whenever they became available. If the board could not appoint a new CEO by an absolute majority, the shareholders with votes would make the decision. There was a slim chance that the Bennett family would not vote as a bloc but Damon couldn't take that risk. He could roll the dice and hope that the board was able to come to a decision or he could present a compromise to Bonnie. Zacharias would be CEO because Damon would not cede control of the company...even to his beautiful wife. However, he would not oppose Ayana becoming the chief operating officer.

Damon collected the papers and returned them to his briefcase. He locked the black case made of italian leather and slid it beneath the couch. He would talk to Zacharias about strategy later tonight. His uncle was his consigliere, and Damon planned to make good use of him. Zach could be as ruthless as the next man, more so in some cases, but he was also levelheaded. Moverover, he had the mind of a tactician. Perhaps the Salvatores and Benedettos were not at war but their alliance was certainly in jeopardy. Worse yet, Bonnie had a hell of a head start on Damon. He couldn't fathom how long his wife had been plotting against him and his family.

He stood up when someone knocked at the suite's door. Damon peered out the peephole to confirm it was Elena before opening the door. He flashed a charming smile. "Good afternoon…"

Elena wore large sunglasses to hide her bloodshot eyes. Her dark brown hair was arranged in a simple chignon style. She had also taken the time to put on makeup to mask her unhealthy pallor. Elena's mother, Miranda, had taught her to always look her best in the presence of the don. She smiled timidly at Damon. She apologized, "I am sorry for being late. I just collapsed into bed last night without setting an alarm."

Damon ushered the younger woman into the room and then closed the door. He motioned to the couch and said, "You don't need to apologize any further, Elena. I have been in your shoes more times than I can count."

Elena took off her sunglasses and tucked them into her designer bag. She hoped the eyedrops had worked their magic. Then she nervously smoothed her slender fingers over the plum colored dress she chose for this occasion. She didn't know what to expect from Damon but everyone knew about his proclivities. She feigned a confident smile. "Thank you."

Damon brought over the refreshments that he had ordered from room service. "Coffee? I thought you might be needing a cup or two."

Elena prepared a cup of coffee for herself. The piping hot coffee smelled delicious. "You would be very right. I still have a headache."

Damon motioned to a bottle of aspirin on the table. "I always keep a bottle handy for this sort of occasion. I was in bad shape this morning, too."

Elena asked, "Would you like a cup of coffee, too?"

"You don't need to trouble yourself," he replied.

She shook her head and assured him. "It is no trouble at all. How do you take your coffee?"

Damon watched as Elena prepared his coffee. He knew that the girl was trying to appease him because she wanted out of the marriage arrangement. However, it also spoke to how she was raised. Elena knew the proper deference to use in the presence of the don. He said, "Black with two sugars, please."

Elena placed Damon's cup of coffee in front of him and then sat back on the couch. Both of her hands cradled the cup as she took a sip. She was pleasantly surprised by the taste.

He smiled at her expression. "The kitchen roasts the beans in house. I think the Claiborne has the best coffee in the city."

"I might have to agree with you," Elena replied as she took two aspirin.

Damon said, "It is probably best if we get down to business now."

She nodded and looked at him expectantly. Elena hoped that he was serious about what he said last night. However, she realized that Damon's proposition could have been spontaneous. He couldn't have been happy to see Tyler and Bonnie together. Elena had certainly been irritated by the sight. "Okay."

"I doubt that I need to tell you this, but anything we discuss today does not leave this room. No one can know about this if we have any hope of success."

She nodded and picked up a scone from the tray. Normally, she tried to stay away from carbs but she needed something to soak up everything she drank the previous night. She said, "I understand. I didn't tell anyone where I was going when I left my parents' house this afternoon."

"I am glad to hear that." Damon took a sip of coffee and continued, "I will admit that I proposed a marriage between you and my cousin, Angelo, to get under Tyler's skin. However, antagonizing the little bastard was not my sole reason. The Gilbert family holds a very important place in the organization. Your uncle's unfortunate death weakens that connection."

Elena clutched her cup of coffee nervously. Her father had given her the same explanation when she first learned of the arrangement. It gave Damon the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. It was the first time that Elena had been asked to make payment on the lavish life she had been afforded. She asked, "But you think I can be of another use now?"

Damon nodded. "The Gilbert family is very important, but my relationship with Bonnie is more important. I am sure you have heard the rumors about my wife by now…"

She kept her expression impassive but she had heard the rumors. Whispers of Bonnie taking over her family's smuggling operation had begun weeks ago. At first, Elena had not believed it because Bonnie was just a young woman. However, it quickly became obvious that the rumors were true. She nodded.

"Our two families are strongest when we are united. If I have any hope of winning back Bonnie, I have to get Tyler out of the picture."

Elena immediately tensed because she feared that Damon might hurt Tyler. She was angry with her ex-boyfriend but she didn't want him hurt or worse.

Damon read her expresion perfectly. He smiled. "I am not interested in hurting Tyler. It is an action that would only further harden Bonnie's heart against me. They are...close."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Yes, they are."

He was surprised by her reaction. He wondered if Elena knew something about the couple that he didn't. "Please, speak your mind…"

For a moment, she looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She said, "I only meant that Bonnie cast a long shadow in my relationship. Living up to their friendship was difficult."

"How do you mean?" he asked. He wondered if Stefan was wrong about when this affair started.

"Tyler was heartbroken when Bonnie married you. He had a rough time of it in the year that followed. He kissed a lot of frogs trying to get over her. I guess in some ways you could call me the rebound. I was his first serious relationship. When we started dating, I didn't realize they were such close friends. Tyler and Bonnie would call or text each other all the time. In the beginning, I was suspicious. I thought maybe he was cheating on me with her. I broke into his phone and read his messages. I felt so stupid. They were talking about normal stuff."

Damon had never been particularly close to Tyler because of the age difference. However, he did remember the year span when the younger man tried walking on the wildside. Stefan spent many nights at clubs being Tyler's wingman and designated driver. It had been a small source of conflict in Stefan and Caroline's marriage. He asked, "What kind of stuff?"

"They talked about family, TV shows, music, and sports." She rolled her eyes skyward. "They talked about sports all the time...all of the sports. I realized it wasn't anything romantic. They were just two friends that had almost everything in common. It also made me realize that I didn't have very much in common with Tyler. I guess that's why I wasn't surprised when they finally got together."

Damon didn't know what to think about Elena's revelation. "Tyler broke up with you to start dating Bonnie?"

She nodded and confessed, "But it was more than that. Our relationship had been in a bad place for awhile. He accused me of cheating on him with a friend."

"Were you cheating on him? You won't get any judgment from me…"

Elena sighed a little. "Yes, I was cheating on Tyler. It wasn't anything I planned. It just happened, you know? We were studying together and hanging out. Tyler was working all the time."

Damon nodded. "And one thing led to another…"

"Right," she acknowledged. "Tyler didn't seem particularly mad about it. He just said that we weren't right for each other. He is right about that. We want very different things. When we first started dating I didn't know that. Tyler was in college, too. I thought…"

He finished her thought, "You thought he wanted to be a civilian."

She nodded sheepishly. "I guess that was naive of me. I mean his whole family...even his sister are, you know."

Damon guessed that he was guilty of the same naivete where Bonnie was concerned. He had always assumed that she was meant to be a civilian. However, the truth had always been staring him in the face. She came from a long line of women that were in a word...dangerous. Even Abby, the free spirit of the family, was a hardened killer. He said, "I understand that your relationship with Tyler is over. However, you will have to keep him occupied for a few months."

Elena would rather spend a few months with a man that she knew cared about her than a stranger like Angelo. However, she had some doubts about how this would play out. She said, "I don't think that I can fake a pregnancy for that long. My body won't change in the ways that he is expecting. I mean Ty and I haven't been together like that since around Thanksgiving."

Damon winced because they would be threading the needle at this rate. He said, "You would still only be about a month pregnant. You wouldn't be showing just yet. You'll have a miscarriage before Tyler starts to get suspicious. We'll blame it on the stress...that's at least another couple months of him feeling guilty."

Elena's eyes went wide. She obviously hadn't thought this plan through because of course she would have to fake a miscarriage. She wasn't actually pregnant. However, she wasn't sure that she could hurt Tyler that way. He would blame himself for the miscarriage.

She looked at Damon with uncertainty burning in her eyes. She asked, "Does it have to be that way? Miscarriages are fairly common in the first trimester."

"We can't have him running back to Bonnie," he argued.

Elena said, "Tyler wouldn't abandon me if he thought I just lost our child. He is going to be heartbroken enough without thinking it is his fault. I know that you are probably angry with him but I don't want to hurt Ty more than necessary."

It seemed that Elena was willing to devastate Tyler but only to a certain point. Damon had hoped that any residual feelings for him had faded. It was a small setback but Damon could still make it work. He said, "We'll work out the details once we have a doctor on board. Angelo is working to find someone that will help us. Lab reports are easy enough to fake but we're going to need ultrasounds as well. We need a doctor that is willing to use another patient's lab work and scans. The name and vital information can be changed in the computer."

Elena nodded in agreement. Only a few keystrokes would be necessary to produce duplicate records with Elena as the patient.

Damon continued, "For this to work, you can't suddenly announce that you are pregnant. You need to start dropping hints with your family and friends. The gossip will start making the rounds soon enough."

She added, "Tyler will definitely confront me if he hears rumors that I might be pregnant. He'll want to know if he could be the father."

"That's when you will agree to see the doctor we find. You'll insist on going alone since you are still angry with Tyler. A few days later, you will present him with lab results. Preferably, you will catch him while he is at Abby's house."

Elena knew that revealing the fake pregnancy this way would yield the biggest reaction. The news would immediately cause a rift between the new couple. However, she was worried about angering Bonnie. Last night, she had been bold because she was drunk. Elena wouldn't want to antagonize Bonnie regularly. She also realized that rejecting Damon's demands wasn't smart. He was offering her a way out and she had already tried to weasel out of wounding Tyler any deeper than necessary. She said, "Okay. I can do that."

Damon flashed and indulgent smile. He picked up a large manila envelope and said, "This is for you."

Elena put her cup of coffee on the table. She opened the envelope and eyed the cash contained inside. Elena noted the 10K bands around the money. There was $30,000 in the envelope. She shot a questioning look at Damon.

"I just want to make sure that you are adequately compensated for your work in this, Elena. I know that I am asking you to step outside of your comfort zone."

Elena was already thinking about what she would do with the money. She grinned at him. "Thank you, Damon."

Damon managed to suppress his shark like grin. He had taken a gamble on Elena being swayed by money. However, he knew her type well. She loved the trappings that organized crime afforded her. She just didn't like looking at how the sausage was made. "You are welcome, sweetheart. I take care of my people. I know my father had quite the reputation but I am not him. I have found that you get more flies with honey.'

She was still staring at the money. "This is a lot of honey."

"There is more where that came from. Once you and Tyler are back together, I might have other favors to ask of you."

Elena's expression changed at the mention of other favors. "What did you have in mind?"

He smiled and took her hand. "You don't need to be afraid. I have no interest in hurting or killing Tyler. Bonnie mourning for him or nursing him back to health doesn't help me reconcile with her. No, I need him alive and out of my way. However, I might need some information. I am sure you have heard that the Lockwoods work for Bonnie's family now."

Elena nodded. People outside of the inner circle wondered how it came to be. There were rumors that the Lockwoods had been traitors but people generally dismissed the idea. They assumed Damon would have killed anyone that dared betray the family. It seemed more likely that the Lockwoods were meant to be a peace offering to clear the debt Giuseppe incurred for his family. "What would I have to do?"

Damon said, "It would be simple tasks, sweetheart. I might need you to place a bug in his phone or copy documents from his laptop. I have a tech that will walk you through all of that when the time comes."

Elena felt the hair on the back of her arm stand on end. Damon was smiling and speaking in comforting tones. However, the smile didn't reach his eyes. His eyes were as cold and dead as her uncle's used to be. She feigned ignorance and said, "That doesn't sound too difficult."

"It won't be. I promise," Damon assured the girl. "Tell me about your younger brother."

She was caught off guard by the abrupt pivot. She said, "Jer is a good kid. He is smart and doing well in school. He is popular with all his friends. He participates in a lot of intramural sports at UCLA."

"I heard that he has been known to fly off the handle," he replied.

Elena had to bite her tongue. Damon had a lot of nerve criticizing someone's temper. She said, "He's had a few scrapes but it hasn't been anything serious. You know how boys act when they are teenagers. Anyway, he's been having a rough go of it lately. He was close to Uncle John."

Damon wasn't surprised that Jeremy was grieving for his uncle. John had played a large part in the boy's life. In fact, he had been angling to get Jeremy paired off with a Salvatore girl for awhile. He said, "Since you won't be marrying Angelo, your brother will be marrying another of my cousins. I would like for you to make the introductions. You have met Greta before, right?"

Elena felt guilt churning in her stomach. She hadn't realized that Jeremy would have to take her place. She nodded. "Greta and I are friends."

He smiled. "Good. Jeremy is still young. I don't intend for the two of them to marry right away. However, it would be good if they took a liking to one another. You can help me with that. I am sure you want what is best for your brother."

She swallowed thickly. "Yes, I do. Jer is hosting a back to school party this weekend to celebrate the end of Winter Break...not that he really needs an excuse to throw a party. I'll invite Greta."

Damon said, "Thank you."

"Anything I can do to help," she replied.

The longer Elena was in Damon's presence, the more nervous she became. He was all smiles and charm but his sharp edge was just below the surface. She did not want to learn how easy it was for his other side to make an appearance. She tried to rationalize the things that she was doing. Jeremy had always wanted to be part of the "family". Surely he would understand why a relationship with Greta was important for him. Perhaps he wouldn't even need to know that he was taking her place.

Of course, Damon was playing Elena like a fiddle. He made the girl believe that she was compromising herself. However, he had planned to arrange a marriage between Jeremy and Greta since before his father's funeral. The boy was already climbing the ranks of the Salvatore family. John had gotten Jeremy involved as a teenager. He had put all his hopes into the boy since he never had a son of his own.

Victor walked out of the bedroom with his thumb in his mouth. In his other hand, he clutched the arm of his teddy bear.

"Come here, buddy," Damon said from the couch.

Victor toddled over to his brother and climbed onto his lap.

"As-tu eu une bonne sieste?" he asked in a soft voice.

The boy nodded and rested his head on Damon's shoulder.

Elena looked at the boy with curiosity. Everyone had heard that Giuseppe had another child. In fact, she had seen Victor at the Salvatore Manor after the funeral. However, it had been brief.

Victor stared back at Elena for a moment and then hid his face against Damon's neck.

Damon said, "He's a little shy…"

Elena nodded. "He's cute."

"Thanks," he replied. "Do you have any questions about what I expect from you, sweetheart?"

She shook her head. "No, I think that I can handle everything. I really appreciate you helping me out of this situation, Damon."

"It is my pleasure. You shouldn't have to pay because Tyler doesn't know his place. Well, I don't want to take up more of your time. I am sure there are other things you would like to do with your day. Just do the things that we talked about. I will call you once Angelo has found a doctor. And you can call me if you need anything."

Elena slowly stood. She picked up her purse and the envelope. "Okay."

Damon stood with Victor in his arms and then walked Elena to the door. He kissed her cheek. "We'll talk soon."

She nodded and then walked out of the suite. Elena couldn't help feeling as if she had been released by a scorpion.

He closed the door and looked down at his little brother. "We've got another hour before we need to pick up Sarah. What should we do, huh?"

Victor looked up at Damon. "We play?"

Damon smiled at him. "Yeah. Let's go get your bag."

He walked over to the couch and placed Victor on the floor. He unzipped the bag they brought from home and started taking out the toys. "What do you want to play with first?"

Victor held onto his bear as he looked at his options. He walked over to the bucket of blocks. "Dis."

"Good choice," Damon said. He moved the coffee table aside to give them more room. Then he sat on the floor with Victor.

Victor took the top off the bucket and dumped his blocks onto the floor.

Damon chuckled and said, "Either you will have to take your thumb out your mouth or put your bear down, kiddo."

The boy glanced at his bear for a moment. Then he placed it gently on the couch before sitting down on the floor with Damon.

The man shook his head and smiled wryly. Victor had definitely inherited Stefan's dedication to thumbsucking. It used to drive their old man crazy. Then again, it never took much set off Giuseppe. Damon looked at the doll that was still in the bag. Giuseppe would have lost his shit at the prospect of his sons playing with dolls. Damon hoped that he could be a good father figure to his brother. He wanted to know that Victor would have a good life.

Victor started sorting the blocks by color.

When all the blocks were sorted, Damon asked, "What should we build?"

Victor started stacking the red blocks into a column.

Together the two brothers separated by more than 28 years built a lopsided structure. Victor then took great pleasure in knocking over the entire thing.

It caused an unseemly amount of noise but Damon didn't care. He enjoyed seeing the bright smile on Victor's face. He asked, "Go again?"

Victor nodded and started sorting his blocks again.

Damon reached for his phone on the coffee table when it began to ring. He glanced at the number of the incoming call and saw that it was Zacharias. He answered the call. "Hey."

 _Zach said, "Hi. Are you busy, Damon?"_

"No. What's going on?" he asked.

" _We think Jamie might have run away from home."_

Damon was surprised by the information. He asked, "When is the last time anyone saw him?"

" _Bonnie took him breakfast early this morning. Then he locked himself in his bedroom again. No one has seen him since and he left his phone at home."_

"Shit. Get some of our guys out looking for him. I'm surprised that Abby asked for our help," Damon admitted.

" _She didn't. We probably wouldn't know if the Bennetts were in such an uproar over Jamie's disappearance. They're making noisy moves and it attracted some of our guys' attention. I called Abby to confirm," he explained._

Damon asked, "What are the chances this is more than a preteen running away from home?"

" _It isn't common knowledge that Jamie is Ric's son. If this is about the business then it would probably be about whatever Bonnie has been doing. But kidnapping her kid brother would be overkill. No one that either family does business with would involve civilians."_

He said, "But some of our enemies upstate don't live by the same rules that we do. Could Bonnie have done anything to piss them off?"

" _You know that I have been digging into her business moves. I haven't noticed anything that would deserve this reaction."_

Damon said, "Until we know different, you treat this as a kidnapping. Put pressure in the right places to find him. In the meantime, I want our people watching Abby's house as a safety precaution. I was going to head over there soon to pick up Sarah. Looks I will just leave now."

" _Where are you anyway? Stefan said that you had lunch with Bonnie but that was over hours ago," Zach inquired._

"I am at the Claiborne."

 _Zach sounded disappointed. "Are you out of your fucking mind? You have been bitching about your relationship with Bonnie for weeks and this is what you do? And isn't Victor with you?"_

"I am glad to know that you have so much faith in me, Zio. I was here for a meeting. The last person I fucked was Katherine. She's the last person I intend to fuck that isn't my wife."

Victor was looking up at him with big eyes.

"And now you've got me cursing in front of Victor. Just find Jamie…"

 _Zach said, "In this family he is bound to hear much worse. And I am sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusion, nipote. I only want good things for you. I'll touch base with you again soon."_

Damon ended the call and sent a text to his driver. Then smiled at Victor. "We've gotta put away your toys, buddy. We need to go get Sarah. We're going to take her home with us."

Victor perked up at the mention of his niece. He started putting away his blocks as instructed.

Damon helped his little brother since he refused to take the thumb out his mouth. Then he made quick work of collecting everything they brought to the hotel. Traveling light was out of the question with a toddler.

As Damon made his way down to the car, he hoped that Bonnie would see his presence as the olive branch it was meant to be. Jamie was her brother, but he was also Ric's son. He was family and Damon would make sure he was returned safely.


	66. The Cost of Doing Business

Bonnie was barely holding it together. She was terrified of Jamie being in serious danger. These were uncertain times and her enemies were many. Jamie had left the house under his own power but anyone could snatch him off the street. What wouldn't she give to ensure her brother's safe return? She adored her little brother and had from the first time she held him. Bonnie had always wanted siblings because being an only child was lonely. Jamie hadn't fully filled the hole in her life since he lived with Abby. However, it didn't stop her from bonding with her little brother whenever they were together. She had watched him grow from an infant to a teen. Bonnie didn't want to consider what evil she would have to commit if anyone harmed as much as a hair on Jamie's head. Worse yet, Bonnie knew that she would enjoy it.

She wore a pensive expression while listening to Richard, Mason, and Gianni speak. The three men had taken responsibility for the search for Jamie. Cesare had given marching orders to the contingent of loyal Benedetto soldiers that had accompanied Big John to California. Her uncle was always well protected now that he had reached an advanced age. John was far too old to fight off an assassination attempt successfully. He had already made the decision to retire in the coming year. His eldest son, Gianni, would succeed him as head of the family. John's second born child, Giada, would become the family's consigliere.

Bonnie held onto the Saint Christopher's medal around her neck. Her family was doing everything humanly possible to locate Jamie but it wasn't good enough. Her brother had been missing for hours and there was no sign of him. Jamie was still a child. It wasn't as if he was capable of vanishing into thin air without help. Then again it was folly to ever underestimate a Benedetto. They were all stubborn and at times too clever for their own good. Bonnie assigned some blame in all of this to her mother. Abby had sheltered Jamie from the business all his life. He didn't realize what dangers could be waiting on him. Abby should have explained the perils of their life after moving to California to be closer to Alaric.

The young woman wouldn't dare speak those words to her mother now. Abby was understably distraught. Geneva and Big John were trying to keep her calm for the sake of the other children. Lexi had all the children upstairs in the master bedroom. They were watching movies to keep well away from the fray. Many men and women loyal to the Benedetto family were coming in and out of the house. Some came with updates on the search. Others came to offer their services and support. Bonnie was proud to see her organization rally around her family without being ordered to do so. Even the moles still hidden within the ranks of the Salvatore organization had reached out to offer assistance.

Abby had searched her son's room and found that his Christmas money was missing. Bonnie didn't want to think about why he had taken several hundred dollars with him. It also increased the number of places he could be. Maybe Jamie took a cab to one of his favorite hangouts. Perhaps he had gone to visit a friend that Abby didn't know about. Jamie was a popular kid at school and had dozens of friends that he talked to regularly. Gemma was running down all the contacts in Jamie's phone. Thus far, everyone they reached had been a bust.

Lucy walked into the room. She went straight to Bonnie and leaned down to speak into her ear. "Damon is here. He wants to talk to you."

Bonnie was in no mood to see her estranged husband. She didn't have any civility to spare right now. However, she knew there was a chance that Damon was there to offer his help. Zacharias had already spoken to Abby to confirm Jamie's disappearance. Bonnie wouldn't reject anyone's help at the moment. Frankly, she was tempted to call Klaus. Having a few Mikaelson eyes on the lookout wouldn't be the worst idea, but she didn't want to ask for too much in their newly formed alliance. Nevertheless, she could change her mind if Jamie was missing for much longer. She took a deep breath and stood up.

She looked at the men and said, "Continue without me for a few minutes. Damon is here. I want to see if he has anything useful to offer."

Cesare scoffed from his position on the couch but he did not say anything more. Everyone in the office shared the same opinion of the Salvatore family.

Bonnie nodded at her cousin and then followed Lucy out of the office. They walked into the living room where Damon was waiting with Victor. "Hi, Damon."

Damon left Victor sitting on the couch and crossed the room to greet Bonnie. He was struck by the expression on his wife's face. Bonnie's lips were smiling but her eyes were another story. The green gems that he had fallen in love with were devoid of any emotion. It sent a chill down his spine. The he noticed the Glock holstered on her hip. "I came as soon as Zacharias called me. We've got our guys looking for Jamie, too. Is there anything else I can do to help?"

Bonnie said, "Thank you for helping with the search, Damon. We can use as many eyes as we can. I just don't understand what Jamie was thinking by leaving without telling anyone. Mama says he's never done this before."

Damon nodded. Bonnie's voice had the right emotional tenor but she still seemed so cold. The contradiction was unnerving. He said, "Well, the kid has been on one hell of a rollercoaster ride lately. He probably just wanted to get some alone time. I'm sure it is hard to find that in a house packed with concerned relatives."

"You are right. We wouldn't be in such a panic if Jamie had taken his phone with him. At least then we could track his movements. We're flying blind right now," she replied.

Damon realized that he couldn't take Sarah and abandon Bonnie while she was in need. He took her hand and said, "We'll find him, Bonnie. Do you mind if I stick around? He's my family, too."

Bonnie was surprised that Damon cared enough about Jamie to stay. She nodded. "Your uncle isn't welcome here. Not now...everyone is already on edge. One misstep and I won't be able to talk everyone down."

He looked pointedly at the gun holstered on her hip. "I understand. He's still at home with my great-uncles. I made sure of that on my way over here. Zach will keep him updated on the search for Jamie."

"Thank you."

Damon nodded. He said, "I am going to get on the phone and see what I can find out."

Bonnie smiled at him. "You can take Victor upstairs if you want. The other kids are up there watching movies. He'd probably like that better than being stuck down here."

"That'd be great actually."

Lucy said, "I'll show you the way."

He picked up Victor and followed Lucy upstairs to the master bedroom. Damon hadn't realized that Lexi and Cesare's kids would be there, too.

Sarah smiled when she saw Damon. She rushed over. "Hi, Daddy!"

He returned her smile. He was glad to see that she wasn't upset. He said, "Hi, bambolina. Can you do a favor for me?"

She nodded.

"Can you look after Victor for me?"

"Okay, Daddy. I'll take good care of him. I promise."

Damon kissed the top of her head and then placed Victor on the floor. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Sarah took Victor's hand. "Come on. We're watchin Despicable Me."

Victor toddled after Sarah. The pair sat down on one of the bean bag chairs spread around the room.

Damon nodded at Lexi in greeting and then followed Lucy back downstairs.

Lucy answered her phone when it started ringing. She walked out of the room as she talked to the caller.

Damon was prepared to go outside to make his call but stopped upon seeing Bonnie. She seemed to be staring at absolutely nothing. Damon sat on the couch and took her hand. "Bunny…"

Bonnie snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Damon. She blinked a couple times and asked, "Yes?"

"I know this is going to sound ridiculous but you have to relax. All of this stress isn't good for the babies. You won't be doing Abby or Jamie any good if you wind up in the hospital," he said in a soothing voice.

She heaved a tired sigh and nodded. "You're right. But everytime I sit still for too long I started thinking about the worst case scenarios."

"Don't do that to yourself," he murmured. Damon rubbed Bonnie's back.

Bonnie said, "I can't help it, Damon. Maybe my brother is safe and having the time of his life. Or maybe one of my enemies snatched him up as a way to get back at me."

"Can you think of any likely suspects?"

She huffed out a bitter laugh. "If I had a suspect in mind, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you. There have been some minor conflicts but nothing that would rise to the occasion of taking my little brother. I have outmaneuvered a few people on some business deals."

Damon puzzled over it, "Kidnapping Jamie would be a severe overreaction to losing out on a business deal. The blowback wouldn't be worth it. Well, Zach is looking into our enemies, too. Jamie might have mentioned to friends that Ric was his old man."

Bonnie froze. "I hadn't thought about that. But I would know if anyone had that sort of beef with your organization. The only people that want Ric dead are in this house."

He huffed out a surprised laugh. "Don't hold back, Bunny."

"Now isn't the time for hand holding or niceties. You know my uncle would whack yours if I wasn't standing in the way."

"Thank you for standing in the way. Ric is a son of a bitch but he's my uncle and I love him," he replied with a pained expression.

She nodded. "I get it. By all rights, my grandmother should have whacked my old man. She left him alive for me. She didn't want my father's blood on her hands. I feel the same way about my siblings. For better or worse, Ric is their father. Besides, he isn't always a gaping asshole."

Damon chuckled. "That is a vivid description but fairly accurate lately."

Gemma walked into the room and shook her head. "I've contacted every person in Jamie's phone. No one has seen or heard from him today. I'm sorry, cugin."

She smiled sadly. "I knew it was a long shot, Gem."

Gemma said, "Abby gave me a list of places in L.A. that Jamie likes. I am going to ride out there with Cesare and see if we can find him."

"Thank you," Bonnie replied.

Gemma nodded and said, "Continua a sperare…"

"Lo faro," Bonnie said.

Gemma ducked out the room to tell Cesare it was time to go.

Damon had noticed that Bonnie spoke more Italian around her family. He was the same way. It seemed natural to slip into his family's native tongue when they were all together. He asked, "Can I get you anything?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, I'm as well as I can be. You don't need to worry about the babies, Damon. Cole knows what is happening. He sent one of his nurses over to check my blood pressure. I am handling the stress remarkably. She will return in a few hours to give me another check-up."

Damon relaxed somewhat. "I am glad that you thought to call Cole. Better to be safe than sorry where your health is concerned."

Bonnie nodded. "Actually, Tyler is the one that called Cole. He was worried about me. I've had something of a one track mind since Jamie has been missing."

His jaw clenched in response.

She chuckled quietly. "You're going to have to get used to Tyler being around, Damon. Even if we aren't dating, he will always be part of my life."

He hoped Elena would help him change that. It wasn't enough to break up the relationship, he needed to crack the very foundation of their friendship. Damon would never win Bonnie back if Tyler was in her ear. The opposition from her family would be a big enough obstacle.

Damon's eyes moved to the Saint Christopher's medal hanging around her neck. "Yes, I see that."

Bonnie looked down and realized what had caught his attention. Her eyes narrowed a little. "Let me guess, Stefan is the one that told you that Tyler gave this to me."

"Don't be mad at Stefan for that. I was trying to figure out how serious you were about Tyler and vice versa. He explained the importance of that Saint Christopher's medal. That is a very special family heirloom."

"It is," she agreed. "I couldn't believe that Tyler was willing to part with it. He gave it to me the night that Giuseppe attacked me. Tyler was the first place I went after I left the Manor. It was the only place in California I felt safe."

Damon couldn't have felt smaller if he tried. His wife had been wounded and terrified. She knew that he was staying at the Rischard with Katherine. However, she had turned to her best friend for safety. It really put everything into perspective. It wasn't just that Bonnie loved Tyler. He was her safe place. "I'm sorry you felt that you couldn't come to me."

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. "Water under the bridge as far as I am concerned."

Damon smiled wryly. "That doesn't feel true. You want to get along with me but I can tell that you haven't forgiven me."

"And I will never forgive you. Forgiveness is not in my nature...vengeance is. You hurt me for four years. You don't want to know the things I'd have to do to you in order to feel vindicated," she said in a matter of fact way.

He was taken aback by Bonnie's response. He was reminded of the time that Tyler had said the same thing. The boy certainly knew Bonnie well. He asked, "What would it take? Territory? Money?"

"I have plenty of territory and money. The only way I would ever be made whole is with blood. Sangue per sangue. Dolore per il dolore."

Damon repeated, "Blood for blood and pain for pain?"

"Money and territory are petty things, Damon. These things I have taken are things that already belonged to me. The things you have will one day belong to our son. There is nothing you have that I do not have or will not have one day. The only way for the slate to ever be clean would be for you to bleed for me," she replied easily.

The older man looked at his wife somewhere between awe and disbelief. How did he sleep beside this woman every night and not truly see her? He had been blind to her pain, suffering, and simmering rage.

She smiled and patted his hand. "Better that we are friends and co-parents, Damon. You would not want to pay the price to have my heart again."

Damon swallowed thickly. He chuckled and asked, "How much blood are we talking?"

"More than you have to give."

Damon believed her but he wasn't deterred. Bonnie's heart wasn't as hard as she wanted it to be. He looked at the album on her lap. "What do you have there?"

"Mama dug out the albums earlier. She wanted to find some baby pictures of me for the baby books she's making for the twins. I was going to ask you for a couple pictures of you, too."

Damon asked, "Can I take a look?"

Bonnie nodded and handed him the album.

Damon flipped through the pages with a smile. Many of the moments captured were with the Salvatore family.

"Grams must have sent Mama hundreds of pictures over the years. She kept them all. This is one of a dozen albums dedicated to me."

"She's always loved you," he replied.

Bonnie smiled a little. "I used to doubt it."

He spotted a picture of Bonnie and Stefan. "I would recognize my brother's brooding expression anywhere. He loved you from the moment Abby brought you for a visit. He always wanted to hold you and give you kisses. You were just as bad once you were mobile. You would follow Stefan everywhere like a second shadow."

"Stefan was one of my first friends. I love him."

"He misses you. Caroline does,too," he admitted.

She sighed softly. "I miss them, too."

Damon said, "I don't want what's happening between us to affect your relationship with Stefan and Caroline. They shouldn't be punished or given the cold shoulder because I'm an asshole."

"This distance isn't intentional. I have just been busy lately. I am sure things will calm down soon. I plan to spend time with them," she promised.

Suddenly, the front door opened loudly. Tyler and Brady staggered into the living room moment's later. They both looked beat to hell and she could smell gun powder on them.

Bonnie's eyes widened and she was on her feet moments later. She went to Tyler first because he had obviously taken the worst of it. Bonnie cradled his bloody face in her hands. "What happened?"

Cristian walked into the room and bellowed. "Everyone get down here!"

"We followed a hunch. We know who took Jamie," Brady said in a hardened voice.

Bonnie felt her heart drop. This was her worst nightmare come to life. She asked, "Who did this? Who took my brother?"

Tyler steered Bonnie to the couch. He was worried for her health despite his own injuries. Tyler was certain that he had a couple fractured ribs. He said, "I was watching the surveillance from the last couple days. I wanted to see if there were any cars watching the house. I spotted a sedan down the block a few times. I got a look at the driver and recognized him as being from Jacob Molinari's crew."

Bonnie instantly thought back to when she had killed the man in a room full of people. He deserved death for his betrayal but now she would have to face the consequences.

All the adults, except for Lexi piled into the room to hear what Tyler and Brady had to say.

Abby was sobbing against Big John's shoulder. In her heart, she'd known that Jamie was in danger. However, hearing the truth destroyed her.

"Brady and I went to check it out and got this for our trouble. Jacob's brother has Jamie. He wants the crew's walking papers for Jamie's life," Tyler explained.

Brady said, "Oliver is a stupid prick that is in over his head. He kidnapped Jamie as a spur of the moment thing. He saw Jamie leave the house alone and followed him for a few blocks. Now he's running scared. He just wants to get a deal done. He realizes that he's fucked up."

Abby wailed when she heard the news.

Big John looked at his son. "Take her upstairs."

"No, I'm not leaving!" Abby spat angrily. "I want them all dead. Do you hear me, Bonnie? Morto!"

"Yes, Mama," Bonnie replied softly. She felt a fire burning deep within her.

Gianni walked over to Abby and pulled her into a hug. He whispered soothing words in her ear.

Tyler squeezed Bonnie's hand. "Jamie was okay when I saw him, Bonnie. Not a bruise on him. They want to meet at the warehouse, you know the one, in an hour."

Damon asked, "Why would he take such drastic measures? This feels like overkill."

Bonnie laughed bitterly. "Because this isn't about breaking away from the family. I killed his brother. This is Ollie's way of getting back at me. Fucking coward. He targets a child instead of coming at me head on! I severed his brother's carotid artery for being a traitor but I am going to take Ollie's head right off his fucking shoulders! That will be after I kill every last son of a bitch that was stupid enough to join him. I promised that the next person that betrayed me would pray for something as sweet as death and I fucking meant it. It is time to show them that I am a woman of my word. I want to crush that entire family. Do hear me, Uncle Richie. You leave them fucking penniless!"

Richard was seething with anger. Not only because his son and brother had been injured by these mongrels, but because they had moved against Bonnie in such a cowardly way. He walked over to the couch and pressed a kiss to her cheek. He swore, "When I am done there won't even be a pot for them to piss in."

Bonnie said, "Get eyes on that fucking warehouse. I want our best guys ready to move at a moment's notice. Get the place we used for our other friend ready. I am going to take my time with Ollie and his sycophants. I don't want to be disturbed."

Richie's eyes darkened because he knew exactly what she was asking. "It will be done within the hour."

Bonnie said, "You are the best, but are you well enough to participate, Brady?"

Brady gave a crooked smile, "I am ready, willing, and able to take them all apart limb by limb."

Maurizio said, "I am going, too."

Gemma nodded. "Me, too. I haven't had the pleasure lately. It's one of the drawbacks of being upper management but I can't wait to get bloody."

"Nor can I," Bonnie replied. She looked at Lucy. "Call my father. He wants to prove his loyalty to me. He does it today!"

Lucy nodded.

Bonnie got to her feet and walked over to Abby.

Everyone began breaking apart to start their preparations.

Abby hugged her daughter fiercely.

"I'm sorry, Mama. I will make this right."

Abby took her daughter's face in her hands. "You have nothing to apologize for. These savages took a little boy to force your hand. You make them suffer. Do you hear me? You do what Zia Fiammetta taught you...what she taught all of us."

Bonnie kissed her mother's cheek. "It will be done, Mama."

John said, "Take her upstairs now, Gianni."

Bonnie shook her head. "Take her to my room. I don't want to disturb the children."

Gianni guided Abby out of the room.

Bonnie turned to Tyler. "You need to get over to Cole's place so that he can patch you up."

He shook his head. "I'm fine, Bon. My place is with you."

She took his hand. "I need you with me and that can't happen if you keel over. I need to know that you are okay. I also need Brady in top form."

Tyler sighed. He pecked her lips and said, "Getting Brady to go along with this will be easier said than done."

"Take Lucy with you. She can be persuasive," Bonnie replied with a half-smile.

Tyler nodded. He glanced at Damon and then walked out the room.

Damon was glad that the room had cleared out because he needed to speak to his wife. However, he didn't enjoy seeing Tyler kiss Bonnie. He asked, "Are you actually planning on going to the warehouse?"

Bonnie turned to look at Damon. She had almost forgotten that he was there. She was blinded by her rage. Her brother was being held by people that had very little to lose. She said, "Yes, I am going to the warehouse. I am the boss of this family and they have kidnapped my brother."

"I don't want to be that guy, but you're pregnant," he pointed out the obvious.

She rested a hand on her baby bump and said, "No shit, Sherlock. Those sons of bitches kidnapped my brother. If you were in my position, there is no way that you would sit this out."

"The difference is that you are taking my children into what could be a trap. I wouldn't be happy about you risking your own life, but I won't stand by and watch you risk the lives of our children."

Bonnie said, "First, you don't run shit here, Damon Salvatore. Second, I have protected myself and the lives growing inside of me better than you ever have. Third, I am not a moron. I am not going to walk into a trap. I will stay back until the warehouse has been secured by my people. But I will deal with Ollie personally because it is the only way. I stood in front of my people and promised to rain hellfire down on the next person that dared betray me. This motherfucker responds by kidnapping my brother. If there are any people left in this organization that doubt me, I will turn them into believers today."

"Then I am coming with you and I am bringing some of my people with me."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Just don't get in my way, Damon. I won't warn you a second time."

He held up his hands in mock surrender. "You won't hear a word out of me. I'll just be there for back up."

Bonnie nodded. She said, "Okay."

Damon walked over to Bonnie and hugged her. "We'll get him home safely."

She huffed out a bitter laugh. "Jamie has been put through the wringer because of his parents' fucked up relationship. Now he was kidnapped because of his sister's business dealings. I would be surprised if he ever spoke to me again."

Damon tucked a strand of hair behind Bonnie's ear. "This is our reality, Bunny. He was going to learn the truth sooner or later. Jamie's been living his life like a civilian. Now he knows that isn't the case. You and Stefan learned that at a young age. You both nearly died while playing outside a church."

Bonnie's breath got caught in her throat. Damon had invoked a tragedy that her family still mourned. The day that Paul and Alonzo were killed was still the darkest day in her family's storied history. Bonnie's early memories were hazy but she remembered that day. She remembered being covered in her uncle's blood. She remembered feeling suffocated under the weight of Paul's body as he shielded her from the gunfire. Bonnie's hand hesitantly went to the back of her head. She still had a scar on her scalp from her head bouncing off the cobblestone street.

Damon watched her carefully.

Bonnie's hand fell to her side. "Mama wanted to protect him from all of this. In a way, I wanted that for him, too."

He said, "I had a similar conversation with Stefan about a month ago. I tried so hard to protect him from all the bad shit in our lives, but he saw it all anyway. Stefan was smart. Jamie is smart, too. How did Sheila tell you about all this?"

Bonnie chuckled sadly. "I found a dead body in our house."

"Shit." He asked, "Are you being serious right now?"

She nodded.

"Shit," he reiterated. "How old were you?"

"Not much older than Jamie is now," she replied.

Lucy walked into the room. She scowled at the closeness of Bonnie and Damon but didn't speak on it. She said, "Brady is being a pain in the ass. I'm going to drive him and Tyler over to Cole's place. I figured I could raid his cabinets for some goodies."

Bonnie hugged her cousin. "Thank you. I figured you'd be able to talk sense into him. Grab some epinephrine while you are there."

Lucy grinned. "Great minds think alike."

The younger woman said, "I should go check on, Mama."

"She needs you right now," Lucy agreed.

Damon watched Bonnie leave the room.

Lucy pointed at Damon. "Don't you dare make a move on Bonnie while she is this vulnerable. Once she is thinking clearly, she will feel like you played her."

"I'm just offering support. Jamie is my family, too."

"You heard what I said, Damon. Listen to me now, believe me later," she replied and stalked out of the room.

Damon didn't intend to listen to Lucy. If he could use this situation to get his foot in the door, then he would do it.

Lucy said, "Move your ass, Brady!"


	67. When The Tide Comes In

Damon frowned as he checked his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. He was standing in a parking lot located about three blocks away from the warehouse where Oliver was holding Jamie hostage. Damon felt useless just standing around while others were mounting a rescue for a boy that shared his blood. When they arrived, Bonnie had reiterated her earlier warning. She had barred Damon and his organization from getting involved in the warehouse breach. The Benedettos and Lockwoods were running this operation jointly. They claimed that everything was under control and extra bodies would make the situation more chaotic.

He acknowledged that having opposing forces working together could cause problems. This was especially true when it came to deciding who was in charge of the situation. The Benedettos and Lockwoods knew how to work together seamlessly. They had over 30 years of trust and respect that would defuse any tense moments. Moreover, they all acknowledged that Bonnie was the boss. The final decision in any situation ultimately belonged to her. Not even Big John could override his young niece's decisions while in the United States. Damon wondered how Bonnie had gotten the members of her organization to respect her. It would surprise no one to learn that the mafia was rife with misogyny-it easily outpaced the high levels present in the general population.

The members of the Benedetto organization respected Sheila because she had earned it. Her mother, Miss Emily, had required her daughter to climb the ranks, as anyone else would have. She had spent years doing wetwork for the family and running her own crew. Sheila had expanded her organization's territory long before she ever became boss. Recently, Damon had learned from his great-uncles that Giuseppe had helped make that expansion possible. It left Damon to ponder if Sheila had ever loved his father. Perhaps he had been a mark from the very beginning. While he would not weep for his father, it also posed uncomfortable questions about his own marriage. Had the plan been for Bonnie to use Damon in the same way that Sheila had used Giuseppe? He couldn't help feeling as if he was missing a big piece to the puzzle.

Damon's mind circled back to what Bonnie could have possibly done to earn the respect of her people. He had listened to her fiery response to Oliver kidnapping her brother. He would concede that she certainly knew how to appeal to her family's bloodlust. Frankly, she had gotten his blood pumping, too. However, inspiring people wasn't the same as proving that you could crawl through the trenches with them. Damon had been doing wetwork for his family since he was a teenager. It was the only way to prove to those men that he was not a dilettante born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had shown them that he was as ruthless and calculating as his old man was. No matter how Damon rotated the circumstances in his mind, he just could not envision Bonnie doing the same thing.

Zacharias ended his phone call and walked over to Damon. He clapped a hand on his nephew's back and grimaced. He said, "I just talked to Zio Bruno…"

Damon frowned at his uncle. He could tell by the look on his face that he didn't have good news. Damon's blue eyes narrowed and he said, "Please, tell me that Ric isn't on his way here."

"No, they are keeping him confined to the study for now. I told Zio to shoot Ric somewhere fleshy if he tries to leave the house," Zach said in a serious voice.

The younger man nodded in agreement. "Better one of our uncles, than a member of Bonnie's family. Everyone is loaded for bear and tense as hell right now. They would definitely go for the killshot."

Zacharias was anxious to receive an update about his young nephew. He wanted to be able to give his brother some good news. Zach realized that Ric was on tenterhooks back at the manor. Unfortunately, the relationship with the Benedetto family was in a very precarious place. They could not afford for Ric to do something that would enrage Bonnie's family. Big John was already looking for a reason to end their alliance. It seemed that Bonnie was the only reason that the two families were still allies. Zacharias had a theory about the girl's true motivations, but he opted to keep it to himself for now. He couldn't gauge the reactions of his brother or nephew. Both men could become volatile when it came to matters of the heart.

"Can you blame them?" Zach asked.

Damon shook his head. He said, "Bonnie and Abby need better security around that house. I don't know how the fuck to bring that up without starting a major fight."

The older man huffed out a tired laugh. "It is going to be a tense conversation no matter when it happens. They don't trust our family…for good reason. My advice would be to broach the subject in a few days once the dust settles. We can offer to hire a private security firm for the job."

"It is probably better that way. Bonnie isn't going to agree if our guys are providing security. She would believe that they were reporting back to me," he conceded.

Zach chuckled quietly. He said, "They would be reporting back to you…"

"I have to find some way to get the upper hand in this situation, Zio. Bonnie has been pulling my strings for God knows how long," he muttered bitterly.

"Perhaps…but she obviously loved you, too."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Zacharias lifted an eyebrow. "You are too fucking old for me to coddle you, Damon. I encouraged you on multiple occasions to treat that girl better. An arranged marriage is as good or bad as you make it. Meredith would not have been my first choice for a wife but I grew to love her. We made it work. You didn't try to make your marriage work because you didn't believe that you had to. Bonnie was your wife and she 'needed' you to protect her interests. Now you're playing catch up because Bonnie has demonstrated that she doesn't need you at all."

"Never did," he admitted with a heated glare.

Zach chuckled and said, "Bonnie stayed as long as she did because of her love for you. You have no one to blame but yourself."

Damon opened his mouth to reply but stopped short when he saw that Matt Donovan was approaching them. Matt was one of twenty Salvatore men that Zacharias had called to provide backup. Damon had agreed that he would not intervene unless it appeared that Bonnie and Jamie were in danger. Bonnie had not been thrilled with his demand but she agreed because it was the sensible thing to do. They had both been around the business long enough to know that even the best laid plans had the potential to go very wrong. She wasn't arrogant enough to put Jamie's life at risk.

"What's up?" he asked.

Matt said, "Bonnie wanted you to know that they took the warehouse without incident. She is ready to go over there now. She wants to know if you and Zach are riding with her…"

Damon was surprised that Bonnie was extending them an invitation to the warehouse. He had assumed that they would have to fight her tooth and nail. He glanced at his uncle and then nodded. "Yeah. We're going to ride with her. Make sure Senior keeps everyone in place until I say otherwise."

The younger man nodded and then jogged across the parking lot to where his grandfather stood.

Damon and Zach walked across the parking lot to the idling SUV. He noticed that Bonnie was talking on the phone but she still beckoned them into the car. Once inside, his eyes were drawn to the bulletproof vest that protected her chest and stomach. Damon was glad that she was taking safety precautions but it was just another reminder of how dangerous this situation was.

Bonnie ended the call and then looked at Cole in the rearview mirror. "We're ready to go, Cole."

He nodded and pulled out of the parking lot. He knew that she was anxious to see her brother in person. Bonnie had asked Cole to join them this afternoon for his medical expertise. He would provide medical support for anyone injured during the breach. He was also monitoring Bonnie's blood pressure. Everyone was concerned about how she and the twins were faring in this stressful situation. She complained every time he checked her blood pressure. The doctor wished that she wasn't so stubborn. However, Cole knew what he was getting into when he took Bonnie as a patient. He had known the girl her entire life and she had always been a handful.

Cole was also present for a more sinister reason. Bonnie wanted a trained physician on hand to make sure that Oliver lived until she had her fun with him. Cole rarely got his hands dirty but he always honored his duty to the Benedetto family. Fortunately, he trusted that Bonnie would not force him out of his comfort zone. She knew that he did not have the stomach for some of the bloodier aspects of the business. However, he also understood that Bonnie had to make an example out of Oliver and everyone that had been stupid enough to follow him. Someone making a move on the boss' family like this was unheard of in their world. Bonnie seemed certain that Oliver had only tried this because she was a woman.

Zacharias asked, "Did they have any trouble taking the warehouse?"

"Lucy said that there were a few minor scuffles but that everything is fine. Jamie is safe and none the wiser about what took place on the first floor," she explained.

Damon relaxed a little more. However, he wouldn't feel secure until he could evaluate the situation in person. He reached over and squeezed Bonnie's hand. "How are you feeling?"

"I am fine. I am just eager to see Jamie," she confessed.

In truth, Bonnie had been berating herself for allowing this to happen. She had been expecting some push back but nothing of this magnitude. Bonnie also came to the realization that she had been too lax about security. A larger estate was necessary now that she was the boss. Jamie wouldn't have been able to slip away from a place like the Salvatore Manor. Bonnie often felt like the Manor was a prison because it was in many ways. Security was always patrolling the grounds and monitoring the surveillance cameras. Bonnie could only do so much to secure Abby's house or even the beach house. She only hoped that her mother would be open to the idea of moving.

The young woman was certain that the Salvatores would offer to help with her security issues. However, accepting their help would come with strings attached. It would also make it easier for Damon to spy on Bonnie and her organization. Moreover, it would give her estranged husband justification to insinuate himself into her life. Bonnie wasn't grief stricken or enraged enough for him to pull the wool the over her eyes. She believed that Damon genuinely wanted to save Jamie. He cared for her little brother and Jamie was his first cousin. Besides, only a monster would stand by while a child was in danger. Nevertheless, Bonnie also recognized that he had ulterior motives. She had decided earlier to play the game for now because he might yet have some use.

They pulled into the warehouse parking lot moments later. Bonnie took a moment to survey her surroundings as she climbed out the car. The outside of the metal building gave away nothing about what was happening inside. It seemed that the breach had been as simple as Tyler had promised. Earlier, Brady and Tyler had allowed themselves to be discovered while casing the warehouse. They had quickly learned that there was a friend within the rogue group. Tyler and Brady took a calculated risk so that they could see the inside of the warehouse. They needed to know how many people were with Ollie and what sort of firepower was available. Bonnie planned to reward her boyfriend well for his heroism. They would just have to be mindful of his bruised ribs.

Damon climbed out of the car and follow Bonnie up to the warehouse. He rested a hand on the gun holstered on his hip out of habit.

Bonnie knocked on the warehouse's heavy metal door and waited for someone to answer.

Moment's later Lucy opened the door with a smile. She had a bloody nose but otherwise looked as healthy as always.

The younger woman frowned. "Who did that to your face?"

Lucy rolled her eyes and said, "Ronnie headbutted me like the little bitch that he is, but I am fine."

Bonnie asked, "How is everyone else doing?

Lucy said, "Everyone is alive and well...including Ollie and his crew. The six idiots are being held in the loading bay out of sight for now. We didn't want Jamie to have to see them as he leaves the warehouse. He's been through enough today."

"Glad to hear it," Bonnie replied. "Where is Jamie?"

"He's still upstairs in the office. Mason is keeping an eye on him for now," Lucy explained.

Bonnie nodded and walked into the warehouse. She said, "Give me your gun, Luce."

Lucy raised an eyebrow but handed her cousin the gun. She wondered what Bonnie had in mind. She knew that her cousin wouldn't show Oliver mercy by giving him a swift death.

Bonnie made sure the gun had a silencer on it. She had ordered everyone to use silencers since Jamie was present. Bonnie hadn't wanted the ordeal to be more terrifying for him. She marched through the warehouse and went straight to the loading bay. Their prisoners were all handcuffed to chairs.

Oliver growled, "Fucking Bitch! I should have killed you when I had the chance!"

Damon was ready to choke the life out of the son of a bitch. However, Tyler moved first.

Tyler punched Oliver in the face. "Shut the fuck up, Dumbass."

Bonnie laughed softly. "Let him yell into the wind, Ty. I like watching my prey struggle in the trap."

Brady chuckled in agreement.

Oliver spat blood onto the ground. "Fuck you, bitch! Did you really believe that anyone would follow you? You're a child...worse yet a woman. Sheila was respected but you...everyone is just waiting to see you fall on your face."

Damon gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe that this bastard was openly disrespecting Bonnie. He hadn't even allowed his uncle to speak to her that way. However, he noticed that no one else seemed concerned by Oliver's outbursts.

Richard chuckled darkly. He had watched this girl grow into a capable young woman. He knew how hot her blood boiled even when she maintained a mask of tranquility. Oliver would regret every insult he hurled at her.

Bonnie didn't even dignify Oliver's outburst with a response. Instead, she glanced at Lucy's gun for a long moment. Then she returned the gun to her cousin and removed a knife from her purse.

Lucy took Bonnie's purse because he knew what was about to happen.

The girl's green eyes narrowed as she walked behind Ronnie's chair. She grabbed his dark brown hair and wrenched his head back to expose his neck. Bonnie watched the way his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously.

Damon wondered what Bonnie was planning.

She pressed the knife against Ronnie's throat hard enough to draw blood.

Oliver swallowed thickly but he refused to plead for mercy.

Meanwhile, Ronnie was too afraid to speak.

She stared into Oliver's eyes with a small smirk. "If done properly someone can die quickly from having their throat cut. The trick is a very sharp knife to sever the jugular vein and carotid artery. The person bleeds out and it is all over in a matter of minutes. If not done properly, the person dies slowly as he chokes on his own blood. It is ghastly and a bit cruel if I am being honest. However, I have always enjoyed option number two. It is fascinating to watch someone die slowly. I mean you really see that last glimmer of hope in their eyes slowly burn out. I have to tell you it's almost as good as sex."

A few chuckles could be heard around the room.

Tyler lifted an eyebrow at Bonnie and smirked. He was glad that she said it was almost as good as sex. Otherwise he would be forced to step up his game in the bedroom.

Zacharias didn't know what to make of the young woman he saw in front of him. This was not the same girl that would crawl into Stefan's bed because she was afraid of the dark.

"Normally, I try to be as humane as possible. It is what my grandmother taught me. Grams always said that there was value in mercy." She paused for a moment and her eyes grew darker, "This is not one of those times."

Damon watched as Bonnie slowly slit Ronnie's throat. The precision of the cut spoke to her skill. He wondered how many lives his wife had taken this way. Blood rushed forth from the wound and the man began to struggle against the handcuffs.

Bonnie walked around and watched as Ronnie choked on his blood. There was no mistaking the terror in his eyes. Bonnie merely smiled as she watched his life slip away. It was as gruesome as she had promised.

The room was eerily silent as everyone stared at the scene before them. Oliver's face paled as he watched his friend die.

Damon and Zacharias exchanged a loaded look. Neither man had truly believed that Bonnie handled her family's wetwork personally. However, it seemed that they were both mistaken. Damon thought back to when Bonnie had threatened to dice Katherine into little pieces if anything happened to Tyler. He now understood that his wife would gladly do the carving personally.

Oliver swallowed thickly.

Bonnie grinned at the man as she handed Brady the knife. She cleaned the blood from her hands and said, "You don't need to worry, Oliver. You aren't going to die right now. I have something much better planned for you. I killed Ronnie right now because he was stupid enough to lay hands on my cousin and draw blood."

"Bonnie, I made a mistake."

She smiled at him. "Now I'm Bonnie? I was a stupid bitch just minutes ago. Keep that same energy, Ollie. I certainly will."

Damon studied the look on his wife's face. Gone was the hollow expression from Abby's house. Her green eyes sparkled with life. She was enjoying herself.

Bonnie looked at Richard and said, "You can cut Graham loose, Uncle Richie."

The older man nodded and freed Graham from his handcuffs.

Oliver was shocked. His eyes narrowed at his cousin. "You betrayed me, cugine?"

Graham scoffed. "I would have never come to the warehouse if I knew you had taken the boss' brother hostage. You are my blood but you went too far. Even Jacob would say that you have gone too far."

Oliver was fuming but a small part of him knew that Graham was right. He had acted recklessly by kidnapping Jamie. He didn't even have a real plan. "Jacob can't say anything because that bitch killed him!"

"The boss whacked Jacob because he betrayed her. You just had to go and up the ante you stupid fuck. I'm just glad that you didn't take me down with you," he raged.

"You're free to go, Graham," she said.

He turned to Bonnie and kissed her hand. He said, "Thank you."

Bonnie turned on her heels and said, "Come with me, Cole. I want you to get a look at Jamie before we send him home to my mother."

Cole stepped around the blood pooling on the floor and followed Bonnie.

Damon asked, "Can I join you? I'd like to be able to tell Ric that I saw his son with my own eyes."

Zach cleared his throat and said, "I'd like to see my nephew, too."

"Okay," she agreed. Bonnie figured it was the least that she could do. Zacharias had showed up with twenty Salvatore soldiers. Their help was not needed but she appreciated it all the same.

She trudged up the metal staircase and walked into the office.

Mason was sitting on the desk speaking quietly to Jamie. His hand rested on the boy's shoulder.

Jamie wasn't injured but he looked scared. However, his expression changed when Bonnie walked into the office. He breathed, "Sissy…"

Bonnie was across the room in seconds. She pulled Jamie into her arms and peppered his face with kisses. Then she squeezed him as tight as she dared. "We have been so worried about you."

"I'm sorry," he whispered sincerely.

"What were you thinking...running off like that?" Bonnie asked as tears filled her eyes.

Jamie hugged Bonnie tighter. He hated seeing his older sister cry. He said, "I just...I was so mad. I wanted to do something but I didn't know what to do. I don't know how to protect Mama. I can't even protect myself."

Bonnie pulled back and cradled Jamie's face in both her hands. "You don't need to worry about protecting Mama. I will protect her. I promise. It's my job to protect all of you. I am so sorry that I haven't done a very good job of that lately."

Zacharias felt the urge to kick the shit out of his older brother.

Damon cleared his throat. "We're all glad that you are safe, Jamie."

The boy realized for the first time that Bonnie wasn't alone. He clung to his sister tighter if possible. He asked, "Is Ric with you?"

Damon inched closer and shook his head. "No, Ric is going to keep his distance for awhile. He knows how badly he messed up. He's sorry for scaring you."

"He was going to hurt my mama," Jamie said.

Zach really wished that he could tell the boy that Ric wouldn't do that. However, his brother had admitted just how close he had come to doing something unforgivable.

Bonnie kissed the top of Jamie's head despite the fact he was nearly her height. She said, "You don't worry about him. Sometimes adults make mistakes but Mama is safe. She's at home right now waiting on you. She misses you so much, Jamie."

"I missed her, too. I didn't know if they were gonna let me go," Jamie whispered to his sister.

She felt her heart break a little more. She wiped away his tears. "Did they treat you okay?"

He shrugged.

Bonnie searched his eyes. "Tell me the truth, Jamie. I need to know if anyone hurt you."

"Ollie hurt my arm and he said mean stuff about you. But Graham was really nice. He ordered a pizza and let me watch TV."

She saw red upon hearing that Oliver had hurt her brother's arm. Bonnie smiled to put him at ease. "Why don't you sit down? Cole is with me. He can take a look at your arm."

Cole asked, "Can I have the room? I'd really like the chance to talk to Jamie. And he's going to need to take off his shirt."

Bonnie balked at the idea. "Everyone else can leave but I am staying."

Jamie looked sheepish. "I don't wanna take off my shirt in front of everyone."

Mason chuckled softly and said, "He's not a little boy anymore, Bon. We should give him a little privacy."

She frowned but sighed deeply. Bonnie remembered when she grew to the age where she didn't like changing clothes in front of her grandmother. Her body had been maturing and she felt self-conscience about it. She said, "I will be just outside. You just say the word and I will come back in. Okay?"

Jamie nodded.

Bonnie left the office and slowly exhaled. She couldn't believe Ollie had the audacity to hurt her brother. He was a bigger idiot than she originally thought. She was going to take an uncomfortable amount of pleasure from what came next.

Damon placed a hand on Bonnie's arm. "Are you okay?"

Zacharias was practically fuming. Things were going to have to change. His nephew could have been murdered today and he barely knew him. Zach vowed to change that situation.

Bonnie looked to Mason. "Go break Ollie's fucking arm for me, Mase."

Mason smiled at her. "Gladly."

She glanced at her estranged husband. "I feel a little better now."

Damon had to admit the thought of that prick with a broken arm certainly made him feel better, too. "What now?"

Bonnie said, "I am going to have Mason and Cristian take Jamie home."

"I meant what are you going to do about Oliver and his crew…"

"That's not really your concern, Damon. Jamie is safe. As you can see, I'm no worse for wear. I believe that this is where we part ways for the evening," she replied calmly.

Damon noted the hard set to his wife's jaw. However, he would not be so easily deterred. "Bunny…"

Bonnie cut off whatever pandering response Damon was about to spout at her. She snapped, "My family has a debt to settle. It will be bloody and it is best we handle it without outsiders present."

His blue eyes narrowed when his wife reminded him that their families were separate. It seemed as if she didn't care that their families were connected through blood, marriage, and business. The Benedetto family had been constructing a wall between their organizations for years. However, Damon had no intention of letting it continue that way. Bonnie was his wife and mother of his children. Her half-siblings were his first cousins. They were family whether she liked it or not. This day had shown Damon that repairing the relationship between the families had to be a priority.

"Yours is not the only family owed a debt. Whatever the state of Ric and Abby's relationship, Jamie is my blood. He is a Salvatore as much as he is a Benedetto. I want to see justice served."

Bonnie's eyes flashed dangerously. She said, "Jamie is a Benedetto. If Ric wanted some claim over his first born son, he should have sacked up and put his name on the fucking birth certificate."

Damon's jaw clenched in response. "I think we can agree that Ric took the coward's way out. I would never deny my own flesh and blood the way that he did. However, I would say that Ric is paying for his mistake now."

"My brother is the only one truly paying for the way his parents handled everything. Ric seemed more distraught about Mama's involvement with my father than he is about his son's pain. In fact, the tantrum he threw yesterday only added to Jamie's pain. Or didn't you hear him say why he left the house on his own today?"

Zach stepped forward to intervene before Damon and Bonnie dug their heels in any further. They both had valid points but neither seemed willing to concede any ground. He said, "I heard what Jamie said and it made me sick to my stomach, Bonnie. I never want my nephew to ever be in that position again. We will ship Ric to rehab if it becomes necessary."

Bonnie felt like lashing out but Zacharias was being so damn reasonable. She couldn't dismiss him because she felt the sincerity in his words. She grudgingly replied, "Thank you."

"It is the least that we can do. It should have never gotten this far. I don't know what is going on in my brother's head but he is our responsibility. We will sort him out. However, I am asking that you put yourself in our position. If the shoe were on the other foot, I can't imagine that your family would relish being shut out," he opined.

She stopped just short of sighing. She wanted to be a hardass and send the Salvatore family packing. However, she knew her family would be raising hell if the roles were reversed. The Benedettos wouldn't trust anyone else to dole out adequate punishment. "What exactly are you asking for?"

Damon suppressed a smirk. He didn't want to rile up Bonnie again. His uncle was certainly worth his weight in gold. Zach had a way of putting people at ease. Besides, Bonnie didn't harbor any animosity against his uncle. Damon knew that his misdeeds were never far from the surface whenever they interacted.

Zacharias explained, "We only want to be present to see that justice is done. I want to be able to tell Ric that I watched the man that kidnapped his son take his last breath. We have no interest in interfering with your affairs. Damon, Angelo, and I would observe and then go our own way once the deed is done."

Bonnie considered rejecting Zach's request...afterall it was only a request. She was under no obligation to accommodate the Salvatores anymore than she already had today. Nevertheless, being inflexible in the moment would be unwise. It would cost her nothing to allow them to observe. Moreover, Bonnie could remind Damon of her benevolence at a later date. She feigned a friendly smile and kissed Zach's cheek. "I think that is reasonable enough, Zio. Although, I would warn you that Oliver has a long night ahead of him. I will not allow him to go easily."

"Nor should you," Zacharias agreed.

She patted his hand. "I will have Uncle Richie give you the address to the safe house."

Cole stepped out the office and beckoned Bonnie forward.

Bonnie slipped past the two Salvatores and asked, "How is he?"

He said, "Jamie has some mild bruising on his upper arm. Other than that, he is in good health. Emotionally...he is a little shaky. I am not exactly sure what he overheard while he was held here. However, he had some questions that I didn't feel comfortable answering."

Bonnie couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her hand sought out the Saint Christopher's medal. "What sort of questions?"

Cole squeezed Bonnie's arm. "I promised that I wouldn't tell you what Jamie asked. But I think maybe you and Abby should sit him down later."

She sucked in a deep breath and nodded. Bonnie wanted to demand answers from Cole. However, she had been in Jamie's position before. She had been offered confidentiality and then the counselor promptly told Grams everything. The move had broken Bonnie's trust and she had never confided in the woman again. Bonnie wouldn't violate her brother's trust that way. "Thank you, Cole."

"Anytime...you know that," he replied softly.

Bonnie looked over her shoulder at Damon and Zach. "I would like to speak to my brother alone."

Damon nodded. "Of course, Bunny…"

She slipped into the office and closed the door. She smiled at Jamie. "Hey, kiddo."

Jamie returned his sister's smile. He rushed across the room and hugged her. "Are you mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" she asked while tightening her arms around him.

"Because I wanted to talk to Cole alone…"

She smiled and said, "Nah. You're old enough to see a doctor alone. Mason was right...you're not a baby anymore. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," he said. "When can I see Mama?"

Bonnie smoothed his curly hair away from his face. "Mason and Cristian are going to take you home soon."

"You're not coming with us?" he asked with wide eyes. He sounded almost panicked.

She shook her head. "I have some stuff that I need to do but I will be home later. I promise."

"Please, I don't want to go home without you. Something bad might happen," he begged.

Bonnie looked at the unshed tears in his hazel eyes. She swallowed thickly and relented. Bonnie knew that her people could carry on without her presence. Besides, Oliver would be the last to die. She would join everyone at the safehouse once Jamie was settled. "Okay. I will go home with you."

Jamie murmured, "Thank you, Sissy."

"I love you,"she whispered into his hair.

"I love you, too," he replied.

Bonnie tried to stifle the urge to cry. Jamie was still clinging to her as if he was afraid to let go. Bonnie wished that he was smaller so that she could hold him. She tensed when Jamie's body shuddered as he began crying in silence.

She whispered, "It's okay. I am here. Everything is going to be okay."

Bonnie began humming _Amazing Grace._ Sheila would sing that song whenever she was scared or had trouble sleeping. It had comforted her more than anything else did. She hoped that it would do the same for Jamie.

Damon opened the door but didn't walk into the office. He watched as Bonnie swayed and hummed to comfort her brother. He slowly backed out of the office to avoid disturbing them.


	68. The Proof Is In The Pudding

A/N: There will be small time jump in the next chapter.

* * *

Bonnie quietly slipped into her mother's darkened bedroom. The wall mounted television provided enough light to keep her from tripping over the toys and bean bag chairs strewn around the room. Bonnie didn't want to disturb the children by making too much noise. Her brothers, sister, and daughter had fallen asleep in Abby's California King bed some time ago. Abby looked to be dozing off as well. It was still relatively early but the last couple days had been stressful and tiring for everyone. Frankly, Bonnie could use a few hours of sleep, too. However, she still had an hour's drive out to the safe house. Bonnie knew her people were eager to let off some steam. She had told them to finish off the co-conspirators but Ollie belonged to her. Bonnie would decide how to end his life.

She approached her mother's side of the bed. She whispered, "Mama…"

Abby opened her eyes when she heard her daughter's voice. She flashed a tired smile but shifted over a few inches. Abby patted the bed in silent invitation.

Bonnie smiled at her mother. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into the bed. It brought back pleasant memories of her own childhood. During some of Abby's visits to Shadow Hills, Bonnie would end up in her mother's bed. The pair would stay up for hours while Abby recounted PG rated stories from her life on the road.

She sat on the side of the bed. "How are you feeling, Mama?"

"I am fine but I feel like I should be asking you that question. How are you and my grandchildren doing?" Abby asked as she sat up in the bed.

Bonnie smiled. "We're fine, Mama. Zio Gianni fixed a snack for me about an hour ago. I even took some time to put my feet up. It helped with the swelling."

"Good."

"How were the kids coping before they fell asleep?" Bonnie asked while glancing at the slumbering children.

Abby said, "The little ones were none the wiser. On the other hand, Jamie barely said a word to me. Not that I blame him for that…"

The younger woman shook her head. "I am sorry, Mama. None of this should have happened on my watch. I should have done more to make sure you and the kids were safe."

She took Bonnie's hand and squeezed it gently. "Let's go downstairs. I could use a cup of tea."

Bonnie grabbed the baby monitor and followed her mother downstairs. Men loyal to her family lounged in the living room to protect the house.

Abby walked into the kitchen and filled the kettle with water. She said, "I don't want you blaming yourself for Jamie's kidnapping."

Bonnie smiled sadly as she sat at the island. She asked, "How can I not? What kind of boss can't keep their own family safe?"

Abby's expression hardened. "Do you think your grandmother was a poor leader?"

Her green eyes widened at the notion. Everyone agreed that Sheila had been one of the best. "Of course not, Mama."

"Well, she nearly got you killed as a child. Uncle Paul died that day. Mama knew that Giuseppe had pissed off our rivals in Milazzo. Still she insisted we all attend the wedding. Do you blame her for the tragedy that happened outside the church?"

Bonnie sighed heavily because she understood her mother's point. Danger was part and parcel of their business. There was nothing she could do to guarantee her family's safety. "You know that I don't."

"Then I don't want to to hear you blaming yourself for this. Our security here isn't as stringent as it should be and Jamie was able to slip through the cracks. We will adjust and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Bonnie nodded. "You're right."

Abby squeezed her daughter's hand. "Besides, you are handling this situation just as your grandmother would have. You are too young to remember the aftermath in Milazzo…"

"I just remember Grams telling me that Uncle Paul and Alonzo were going to live with the angels. But I have heard stories about her retaliation," she replied.

The older woman said, "Your grandmother made the streets of Milazzo run red with the blood of our enemies. Her retaliation was swift, brutal, and terrifying. I have never been prouder of my mother than I was that day. Losing Uncle Paul broke my heart but seeing the corpses of our enemies stacked up like cordwood eased my pain. I know that you will provide me with the same sort of peace."

Sheila's retaliation was the stuff of legends. Her grandmother hadn't been the type to enjoy death and mayhem. She went to Mass every Sunday to keep her baser urges in check. Sheila didn't want to become a monster. However, she was capable of brutality that could chill the blood of even the bravest man. Sheila had been devastated by the murder of her younger brother and best friend. The possibility of mercy and compromise were rejected from the outset. Sheila didn't want concessions. She wanted to wipe their rivals off the map and she had done that. The few men that survived Sheila's retaliation had fled Milazzo in fear of their lives. Her grandmother had hunted those men down and had them killed, too. Sheila hadn't felt an ounce of remorse for leaving scores of women and children without their husbands and fathers.

Bonnie nodded at her mother. When it was all said and done, she planned to return what was left of Oliver to his family. It would serve as a warning. The idiot had kidnapped Jaime because she murdered his brother. Bonnie needed the Molinari family to understand that they couldn't win going eye for an eye against her.

She cleared her throat. "There's actually something that I wanted to talk about with you. I planned to wait a couple days but…"

"What's on your mind, baby girl?" she asked worriedly.

Abby pulled a travel mug and a ceramic mug from the cabinet. Then she dropped a bag of peppermint tea in each cup.

"It's nothing bad," she assured her mother. "I was just wondering what you thought about moving out of here. Maybe you and the kids could live with me."

Abby relaxed but then frowned as she added honey and hot water to the cups. "I love the beach house but I don't think it is big enough for all of us."

She huffed out a small laugh. "No, you are right about that. The beach house is smaller than this place. I was actually thinking of buying something larger to accommodate our family. Perhaps not as big as the Salvatore Manor but in that general ballpark."

She was surprised but intrigued by the idea. She knew that living in this house was no longer an option. Things between her and Ric were too fraught with tension. Abby asked, "Would you really want us living with you?"

Bonnie replied, "Yes, I would love it. It would be easier to keep you safe. It would also be nice to live with you and my siblings. I have enjoyed being here. I feel...it's like I am getting something I missed as a kid."

Abby couldn't ignore the overwhelming feeling of guilt. She had abandoned Bonnie and the girl was still paying the price for her mistakes. Sometimes Abby dreamed that she had made a different choice...a _**better**_ choice. Waking up was always a bitter disappointment. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you."

"You don't need to apologize anymore, Mama. The past is in the past. I am more concerned with the present. You have stepped up for me in a way that I never thought you would. When I was at my lowest, you threw your full support behind me. You asked my father, a man you hate, for help," she whispered.

Abby moved around the island to sit beside her daughter. She gave her a tired smile. "I am not going to sit here and lie to you, baby girl. My feelings for your father are complicated. It's no secret that I hate that man…"

"You tried to kill him with rat poison," Bonnie muttered with a half smile.

"The son of a bitch deserved it and he knows that. But there are also parts of Rudy that I still love. There are moments when I see flashes of the man that I married. I see some of his better traits in you. You sound like him when you laugh."

"Really?"

She nodded with a smile. Abby said, "Anyway, calling him for help was no great hardship. Rudy and I owe you this much."

"You alienated the father of your children, a man you love, for me. I don't want you to regret helping me one day," she confessed.

Abby sighed softly and hugged Bonnie. "My sweet girl, your father and I did so much damage to you. I love Ric and I have for a very long time. But I don't love him more than I love you. I would slit his throat while he slept if it meant keeping you safe. And I wouldn't regret it for a single second. Besides, our problems fall solely on Ric's shoulders. The moment things stopped going his way, he reverted to type. He became the angry violent man that I refused to marry 18 years ago."

Bonnie nodded in understanding. Damon had tried the same thing until he realized that intimidation tactics didn't work on her. These weren't men who were used to being denied or contradicted. She smiled at her mother. "Should we start house hunting together?"

"I think that would be a great idea. I also need to hire another nanny," Abby said.

"Why? I thought Seline was good with the children."

She said, "Ric hired Seline. She reports back to him. It's the reason she hasn't been here since you moved into the house."

Bonnie looked surprised. "I didn't realize…"

Abby said, "I didn't care because I wasn't doing anything I felt needed to be hidden. Besides, I knew that he did the same thing to Jo. I didn't feel as if he was singling me out. Anyway, it was a red flag that I should have acknowledged sooner. It was a controlling behavior."

Bonnie scoffed. "Controlling doesn't even begin to describe it. I hated feeling watched at the Manor. I knew the staff were reporting back to Giuseppe and Damon. It made me feel…"

She nodded. "I am proof that age doesn't exactly make you wise. I put up with Ric's shit for too long. I should have kicked him to the curb years ago. I can do better."

"Yes, you can," she agreed.

"But for now...I would rather focus on my children and my grandchildren."

Bonnie said, "No one is asking you to be a nun, Mama. We all have uh...needs."

Abby chuckled at her daughter's pained expression. "Oh, I don't plan to be a nun. Your mama still has the moves, baby girl. I can pull a man on my worst days. But I won't be looking for anything serious. I might try to reconnect with some old friends."

The younger woman looked as if she wanted to run in the other direction. Her grams hadn't talked about sex openly. She cleared her throat. "Anyone I know?"

She nodded. "They work for you. I hope that won't be a problem."

Bonne shrugged. "I would be a hypocrite if it was."

Abby said, "It would still be your right as the boss."

"I just want you to be happy, Mama," she swore.

Abby smiled and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Honestly, I am happier than I have been in years. Being around my family is just what the doctor ordered."

Bonnie said, "I know the feeling. I should get ready to head to the safe house."

Abby knew that Bonnie was right. However, she anxious about her daughter leaving her side. She stood up and walked to the refrigerator. She pulled out two aluminum pans covered in foil. Abby placed them on the island. "Take these with you. Who is driving you out there?"

"Cristian," Bonnie replied. She peeked under the foil and grinned.

She smiled and said, "Courtesy of Aunt Geneva."

Bonnie picked up the travel mug and said, "I'll call Aunt Geneva to thank her. I am going to find Cristian."

Abby picked up the pans and carried them out to the living room.

Cristian was focused on his phone despite being in room full with people.

Bonnie said, "Cris…"

He looked up with a grin. "You're ready to go?"

"Yeah. The kids are asleep."

Cristian grabbed his jacket and then joined Bonnie in the foyer. He took the pans from Abby. "Let me get those."

Abby hugged Bonnie. "Be safe. I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll call later to check in," she promised.

Abby smiled and walked them to the door. She pecked the younger man's cheek. "Watch out for my baby, Cristian."

"I will, cugine," he promised. Cristian knew that Abby was on edge and he didn't blame her.

Cristian walked out to the car and unlocked it. He placed the aluminum pans in the trunk of the Audi. Then he opened Bonnie's door for her.

Bonnie climbed into the car and sent a text to Tyler from a burner phone.

 **Bonnie: We're on our way. How is everything?**

Cristian climbed into the car and then backed out the driveway.

Bonnie nodded to the radio. "Do you mind?"

He shook his head. "I already synced my phone to car's bluetooth. Play something good."

She took Cristian's phone and flipped through his music. She settled on Bruno Mars and then put the phone down.

Cristian asked, "Are you still looking for a way to get closer to Klaus' nephew?"

Bonnie frowned and said, "Yes. Why?"

Her phone vibrated when she received a new message.

 **Tyler: Three down. Three to go. Are you okay?**

Bonnie smiled and typed out a response.

 **Bonnie: I'm fine. Miss you.**

Cristian waited until he had her full attention. "I might have got Drew's number last night."

Bonnie blinked. "Really? I thought you weren't interested."

"He's cute and grew up around the business. The latter has become more important to me in recent years. I didn't like all the lying that I had to do while dating civilians. But finding guys, in this line of work, that are out...isn't easy."

"I can't imagine dating a civilian," she replied sympathetically.

Cristian chuckled, "My ex-boyfriend knew the rumors about our family...most people do. But he couldn't get over the fact that there were some things he just couldn't ask me. Then I got shot during that thing in Sciacca. It was the last straw for him."

"I'm sorry, Cris."

He shook his head. "Anyway, I had a nice time talking to Drew after you and Tyler left."

"He knows you are a Benedetto?" she asked.

Cristian nodded. "He does. He called earlier because his family heard that Jamie was missing."

Bonnie said, "I got a call from Klaus, too. He offered to help but I declined."

"Probably for the best since Damon was involved. Lucy mentioned that there is bad blood between the two of them."

"That's an understatement," she huffed with a laugh. "They hate each other...like a lot."

"Why?" he asked.

"Who knows? Maybe it's like looking in the same fucked up mirror," she quipped.

Cristian chuckled.

"How did you manage to get Andrew's phone number so fast? Tyler and I were only gone for a couple hours."

He grinned in response. "You know that Benedettos are irresistable. We possess a certain je ne sais quoi."

She frowned and said, "I don't know if that is true for everyone."

Cristian glanced at her. "I am not going to pile on your husband. I know you get enough of that from everyone else. But I will say that you're beautiful and anyone with eyes can see that. If Damon's attention was elsewhere, that his failure and not yours."

"Thank you for saying that, Cris."

Cristian said, "As long as I am here, I will be sure to remind you of how amazing you are."

Bonnie chuckled softly.

"And you need to get out of the house more. You're a great mother and boss but you need to socialize with people your age," he continued.

She smiled and shook her head in disbelief. Cristian had always been able to read people. It was one of his many talents. When Bonnie saw Andrew on New Year's Eve, her interest had been in making a friend. Her cousins had assumed that she was looking for an angle to work Klaus. However, Bonnie didn't need to work Klaus. She had him beaten and mutilated his hand in the name of revenge, but he still couldn't keep his eyes off her. Klaus would take her to bed right now given the chance.

Bonnie said, "You're right."

The cousins chatted during the rest of the trip. They had always shared an easy going relationship. Growing up separated by an ocean meant they hadn't seen each other often. However, Sheila and John made sure that their children and grandchildren knew each other. They both felt it was the only way to ensure the two halves of the family never drifted too far apart.

Cristian pulled onto the gated property. He found a spot to park among the other cars.

Bonnie climbed out the car and walked up to the house. She knocked and waited for someone to open the door.

Cole opened the door and smiled. "Hey."

Bonnie hugged Cole and walked into the house. "Thank you for being here tonight, Cole. I know this isn't your scene."

He said, "I've mostly been hanging out in the kitchen with Uncle Richie. He's been putting me to work."

She chuckled and sniffed the air. "It certainly smells good in here."

"You got here just in time. Dinner is almost ready," he said.

Bonnie turned and took the aluminum pans from Cristian. "I am going to put these in the refrigerator."

Cristian nodded. "I'm going to find Zio Maurizio."

She carried the pans into the kitchen. "I brought dessert, Uncle Richie."

Damon was pulling a beer out the refrigerator. He asked, "Did you make it yourself, Bunny."

Bonnie said, "No. I spent my time with the kids."

Richie stood in front of the stove wearing slacks and a white tank top. He was stirring a simmering pot. He turned and smiled at Bonnie. "Is this Geneva?"

She nodded. "You know it. Zia made her famous banana pudding and she made tiramisu."

He smiled at the girl. "I can't wait to try both. I can't remember the last time I had Geneva's banana pudding."

"Probably after Grams' funeral," she said.

His expression saddened and he nodded. Richard took the pans from her and said, "You're probably right. I'll put these in the refrigerator."

Bonnie immediately regretted bringing up Sheila's funeral. Richard had taken her grandmother's death hard, too. She asked, "What are you making, Uncle Richie? I smelled it as soon as I walked through the door."

Richard closed the refrigerator and said, "Nothing special. I just tossed some meatballs and spicy sausages into the sauce with some vegetables."

"When will it be done? I am starving!"

He chuckled and kissed her cheek. He said, "I'll tell you like I told the boys, it'll be done when it's done. Get outta my kitchen."

Bonnie laughed and left the kitchen as instructed.

Damon followed her out the room. Spending time at the Benedetto safe house had been eye opening. It was a rare opportunity to see how the Benedetto and Liacono families interacted. They behaved as if they were part of one family. Damon wasn't talking about a mob family but one of blood. He didn't understand how they had managed to get the true nature of their relationship a secret for so long. However, he wondered if his scheme with Elena would be as successful as he hoped. "How are the kids doing?"

Bonnie took off her jacket and hung it up in the closet. "They're fine. We're not out of the woods with Jamie just yet. He had a lot of questions for me and Mama. Then he just shut down."

"I'm not surprised," he replied with a pained expression. "How did Abby decide to handle his questions?"

Bonnie sat down and took off her suede boots. "She decided that we would be as honest as possible. Jamie is still a child but he needs to understand that we don't live a regular life. Frankly, I think he knows more than he's letting on."

"Do you think it would help if I spoke to him?" he asked.

"Thank you for offering but...Zio Gianni is going to help out. Jamie has a good relationship with him. He feels close to that side of the family."

Damon knew that to be true. The boy had called Big John when Ric showed up to the beach house uninvited. "Well, let me know if I can do anything to help."

"I will. Has everyone been treating you okay?" she asked.

He nodded. "I can tell we're not welcome but everyone has been civil. I didn't expect more than that. I know we're encroaching on your territory."

Bonnie offered a small smile and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She stripped off her sweater to reveal a black tank top. Then she shimmied out of her skirt to reveal a pair of black cotton shorts. "Well, Zacharias had a point. My family would raise hell if the roles were reversed."

Damon lifted an eyebrow and swallowed thickly. Suddenly, he was acutely aware that he hadn't fucked anyone in several weeks. His eyes lingered on Bonnie's breasts that were noticeably fuller. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to see Oliver for a bit. I don't want to ruin my clothes," she replied with a cheerful smile.

No one had touched Oliver since arriving at the safe house. He was forced to watch the men that had followed him die painfully. Damon had to admit it was an inspired bit of torture.

Bonnie walked into the garage. The room was made of concrete but plastic sheeting covered the walls and floor. She smiled seeing the bodies of four men lying on the floor.

Brady nodded at his nephew when he saw Bonnie enter the room.

Tyler put down his knife and walked over to Bonnie. His brown eyes were so dark that they almost looked black. "Hey…"

Bonnie stared up into his eyes for a moment. She couldn't remember the last time she saw him this way. Bonnie ignored the splashes of blood on Tyler's bare chest and pulled him into a hug.

The man buried his face into the crook of Bonnie's neck. He inhaled her scent for a few seconds before pulling away.

Damon glared at the young couple. Frankly, he preferred when Bonnie and Tyler were hiding the depth of their connection. Seeing them together set his blood to boiling. However, this wasn't the time or place to voice his displeasure. Bonnie had been kind to even allow his presence. Furthermore, he could feel Zacharias' eyes on him. His uncle had been in the garage since arriving at the safehouse. Zacharias was adamant about seeing each man responsible for Jamie's kidnapping die.

The air between Bonnie and Tyler felt thick for a few moments. The tension was only broken by a man's pained groan. Bonnie looked around Tyler to see Milo on the verge of death. It was obvious that Tyler had put the man through his paces. Milo was several years older than Oliver was. She couldn't believe that he had participated in this foolish endeavor. Even if they doubted that Bonnie would exact revenge against them, they had to know that Big John would have.

She looked up into Tyler's eyes and said, "Finish him, Ty."

He rested a hand on Bonnie's hip and squeezed gently. "Do you have a preference?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Dealer's choice...just don't take too long. Dinner is almost ready."

Tyler nodded. He walked over to Milo and looked at the pathetic man. Then he looked down at the serrated hunting knife that he'd been working with for the last hour. The blade and his hand were covered in Milo's blood. Tyler angled the blade to the side and thrust it into the man's chest. He withdrew the knife and repeated the action on the other side of Milo's chest.

Damon knew that Milo would be dead in a matter of minutes if Tyler hit his target. Judging by the angle the knife went into the man's chest, he had punctured both lungs. It was a swift end but not a kind one.

Tyler dropped his knife on the table and walked out the room to wash up.

Bonnie stood silently as she watched Milo die. Then she turned her attention to Oliver.

He was bound to a chair placed in the corner of the room. He had a perfect view of everything that had transpired. The evening's festivities had been effective. The bravado from the warehouse was a thing of the past. His eyes were red as if he had cried at some earlier point. Most of all he just looked scared.

Brady intoned, "And then there was one…"

Bonnie's lips quirked upwards into an odd smile. "How are you doing, Ollie? Have they been treating you well?"

Oliver closed his eyes. "I know that you're going to kill me...just it get over with. Please…"

"Where would be the fun in that?" she asked cheerfully. "I want you to witness what your hubris has caused. You will be the last to die, Ollie. After all, the captain goes down with the ship, right? I'm curious. How the fuck did you think this was going to end? Did you really think that I would negotiate with a stronzo that kidnapped my brother?"

"I thought…" He sighed heavily. "I made a mistake. I know that now."

"Understatement of the year, Ollie. The truth is that you thought just because I have a pussy, that I am one. Your death will serve as a cautionary tale. Frankly, I should be thanking you. You gave me the perfect opportunity to show the rest of the organization that I am a woman of my word. Not a single soul is going to dispute what I do to you because you crossed the line by involving a child in our beef."

Tyler walked into the room. He said, "Pop said dinner is ready and pregnant women get first dibs."

Bonnie smiled and said, "Oh! That's good news. I didn't want to get started on Ollie until my father gets here. Do you know his nickname?"

Olive swallowed thickly. "The Butcher."

She nodded at him.

Brady clapped his hands together. He dropped a pair of bloody pliers. The man he had been working on had died minutes ago. "Let's eat! I'm starving."

"You're always hungry," Bonnie quipped.

"You are, too," he argued jokingly.

"I have an excuse. I'm pregnant," she replied and stuck her tongue out at him.

Everyone filed into the kitchen and piled dinner and dessert onto their plates. Then they moved into the living room to enjoy the meal.

Tyler sat next to Bonnie on the couch. He asked, "Anything worth watching on TV?"

"Detroit is playing Green Bay," Richard commented from the recliner.

Bonnie huffed out a laugh. "Why watch the game when we already know the outcome? The Lions have been trash my entire life."

All the Lockwood men complained loudly.

Richard chuckled. "My old man was a Barry Sanders fan."

Bonnie put her hands up in mock surrender. Then she went back to eating dinner.

Tyler said, "You've got a lot of big talk when you root for a team that has been trash until recently."

"At least my team has a superbowl championship. When was the last time the Lions won a playoff game?" she asked with a smirk.

Brady shook his head as he bit into a sausage. "A Warriors fan and a Seahawks fan? That's what I call a frontrunner."

Bonnie huffed out a laugh. "If I was a frontrunner then I would be a Patriots fan. I'll cop to being a new Warriors fan but that's all down to Steph Curry. I like his shooting stroke."

Tyler lifted an eyebrow at Bonnie's word choice but he didn't respond since they had audience.

Brady chuckled and looked at his nephew. "And you're seriously taking her to watch Curry play."

Tyler shrugged, "He's married. Bonnie doesn't believe in fucking other people's husbands."

Damon tensed because he took that as a shot against him.

Zacharias looked at his nephew but relaxed when he realized Damon wasn't going to say anything.

"But Luce is going to the game, too. She goes all gooey for a set of pretty eyes," Gemma quipped with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Bonnie agreed, "That's true."

Brady's expression darkened.

Damon cleared his throat. "Where is Lucy anyway? I expected her to be here."

Bonnie said, "Lucy and Mason are handling some things for me."

They soon become engrossed in the game despite knowing how the game would likely end. Damon and Zacharias even participated in the conversation. Everyone's spirits were too high to hold a grudge against the Salvatores tonight.

Then there was a knock at the door.

Brady grunted and stood up. He put his plate on the coffee table and went to see who was at the door.

A few minutes later, Rudy walked into the room with a large leather medical bag. He smiled at his daughter.

"Hi, Abba. Thank you for coming," Bonnie said.

Part of her had wondered if Rudy would show. She was asking a lot of him. He had no connection to Jamie and no real reason to get involved. However, he agreed because Bonnie had asked him for help. Her parents were slowly proving that she could rely on them.

"What happened to your brother can not be allowed to happen again. I am happy to help. What would you like for me to do, ketsele?" he asked.

Bonnie said, "I heard about that thing you did in Galway a few years ago."

The room went very quiet because everyone knew about the job Rudy did in Galway. It was a messy affair that had the Garda breathing down his neck for months. However, they hadn't been able to assemble anything resembling a viable case against Rudy.

Rudy was tempted to ask his daughter if this was really what she wanted. However, the dark look in her eyes was answer enough. He nodded. "I should get started then."

Bonnie placed her plate on the coffee table and said, "I'll show you the way."

Damon watched Bonnie walk out the room. He didn't know when this night would end. He only knew that things would never be the same again.

Rudy walked into the garage. He looked at the dead bodies and realized that Oliver was the only one that remained.

Oliver's eyes widened when he saw Rudy walk into the room. The man's reputation preceded him.

Rudy looked to his daughter. "You can return to your meal, ketsele."

"Actually, I was thinking that I would stay...to learn from you."

The older man looked horrified by the notion. He knew that his daughter was a killer. However, this was a level of cruelty he wouldn't want to see her exact personally. He said, "There are many things that I imagined teaching you but...this was not one of them."

Bonnie understood his position. She wouldn't relish teaching her own children something so barbaric. She said, "I hope this is something that only needs to be done once. I don't want to rule my organization by fear and blood. I am not Giuseppe Salvatore. But I have to make a statement all the same. I know many things that I would not want to unleash unless necessary. What I can learn from you tonight would be one of those things…"

Rudy stared at his daughter for a beat. For a second it felt as if Abby was staring back at him. He shook his head and asked, "Did you know that your mother helped me with a few jobs while we were married...before things…"

"Before you started abusing her," Bonnie clarified.

She was willing to give her father a chance but she wouldn't let him forget what he did.

He nodded. He set the bag on the table and began removing the instruments. "We found it was something we had in common. She had learned some techniques from your aunt."

"Zia Fiammetta has a reputation. There is a reason why she was once Uncle Johnny's wartime consigliere," she replied while looking at the tools Rudy was arranging with care.

Rudy had only met the woman once and it was a memorable encounter. "Do you cook?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I haven't had to do much cooking lately. I am hoping to change that when I move into a new place. I have always found it relaxing...and it reminds me of Grams."

He paused for a moment and then asked, "Do you know how to debone a chicken?"

"Yes…"

"Good," was his simple reply.


	69. Controlled Burn

Damon could not deny that he had been exceedingly anxious in the preceding days. He had convinced Bonnie and Katherine to allow his daughters to spend the three-day weekend with him. The mere thought of being responsible for three children under the age of eight-years-old was daunting. However, it was important that the three of them formed a healthy relationship while they were still young. Damon was especially concerned about his daughters that lived with their mothers full-time. He needed to ensure that the girls always remembered that they were in fact Salvatores. He was excited to spend time with his daughters and younger brother. Fortunately, living in the Salvatore Manor meant having family members, nannies, maids, and guards to lend a helping hand. Damon would have plenty of back up if necessary.

This was Damon's first time being a single parent. When Sarah first came into his life, Caroline stepped up to help him. Then he married Bonnie who seamlessly assumed the role of Sarah's mother. She took over the lion's share of their daughter's care without complaint. Damon was present when he had the time but he didn't bear much of the responsibility. He would play with Sarah and read to her, but Bonnie handled everything else. This week, he decided to ask Zacharias for child rearing advice. His uncle was a good husband and an even better father. His children varied greatly in ages, but he always managed to connect with them. Damon could be headstrong about many things but he was willing to listen when it came doing the right by Sarah, Victor, and Nadia. They all deserved his best effort.

Zacharias had wisely advised Damon to plan several activities over the weekend. It would help structure the children's time so that they wouldn't run roughshod over him. The weekend was only a few hours old but it had been successful so far. Damon picked up his daughters after leaving work a couple hours early. Then he took Victor and the girls to an indoor trampoline playground. Stefan, Caroline, and their children had joined the excursion. The children had a blast and were dead tired when they finally left the playground. Once home they ate dinner, then Damon allowed a nanny to get them bathed and ready for bed. He got roped into reading several stories before the kids fell asleep. Nevertheless, he felt good about the time they had spent together.

Currently, Damon sat behind his desk with a pinched expression. He had honored his role of a father to his daughters and a father figure to his younger brother. Now it was the business that sorely needed his attention like an unruly child. Damon and Bonnie were on the same page about the children. However, there was still a power struggle happening within Velocita. The struggle grew more tense each day. Damon could see how factions were forming within the executive ranks. He also knew that his wife had been schmoozing the voting shareholders. Next Friday she was hosting a charity event at Hayley's gallery. Elijah was kind enough to lift the guest list from his wife's computer. As Damon suspected, Bonnie had invited dozens of influential people from Velocita. She had also invited several venture capitalists and tech moguls from Silicon Valley.

Zacharias was able to grease the right palms and learned Bonnie's plan. The young woman wisely sought to make Ayana a more attractive prospect for CEO by teasing an influx of new investor dollars and cutting edge technology. The simple truth was innovation within the company was lacking. Other car manufacturers were beginning to outpace them. It wouldn't be long before that was reflected in the company's bottom line. Bonnie blamed the company's lack of innovation on Damon and Zacharias. She believed that BTS had become stunted since merging with Velocita four years ago. Bonnie was not wrong in her assessment but she was also being unfair. Merging two companies of that size had been a tedious affair. It was made more difficult because of the speed at which it happened. Sheila's death meant the merger happened in months. However, the successful integration and synthesization of two massive multinational corporations could take several years.

Damon could put that argument before the voting shareholders and some might agree with him. He also knew that there were others that would only be concerned with the dollars and cents of the matter. Moreover, there were also Benedetto shareholders that would side with Bonnie out of hand. Damon had not been idle during these early weeks of January. He had been consolidating his power within the company and amassing allies. Damon had worked diligently to ensure the Salvatore shareholders would support him. He also stopped the hemorrhage of voting shares by offering to buy them for more than market value. Damon hated this boardroom intrigue but he wasn't about to roll over for Bonnie. Losing the CEO position would be a major blow for his family. The prospect of losing that sort of power made him understand Bonnie's point of view. She had been watching someone else run her family's company with no input from her for years.

Damon watched Alaric refill his glass for a second time. He sincerely hoped that they wouldn't have to send his uncle to rehab. He needed Ric helping him navigate his new role as boss of the family. However, a sloppy alcoholic unable to control himself was useful to no one. Damon was limiting his own intake for that very reason. His hedonistic ways ended when he killed Giuseppe. He no longer had a safety net to catch him.

Zacharias shared a knowing look with his nephews. They were all concerned about Ric's drinking. They had been monitoring him for a few weeks and insisted that he cut back. The concern was so great that their uncle, Bruno, opted against returning to Milazzo. His stay was now indefinite so that he could help keep Ric in line. Uncle Giacomo would return if they had to send Ric to rehab.

Ric turned around and found the three men looking at him. He growled, "Fuck off. This is only my second drink of the night."

Stefan lifted an eyebrow and retorted, "It's only the second drink you have had in the office. You had a couple glasses of whiskey with dinner…"

He gave a mutinous scowl and asked, "Are you counting my drinks you little bastard?"

Damon and Stefan answered simultaneously. "Yes!"

Ric sat heavily on the couch. He grumbled, "I'm drinking and then going to bed. I stay sober during the day."

"That's true," his younger brother conceded.

The raven haired mobster rolled his eyes. He didn't feel like parenting his uncle but he would do it. He picked up a folder and handed it to Zach. "Before we get down to business, I received Victor's evaluation today."

"And?" asked Ric with some concern.

He still had trouble believing that Giuseppe had kept Victor from the family. They knew next to nothing about the child and his mother wasn't capable of filling in the blanks. Damon had taken Victor for a physical that determined he was asthmatic and a bit undersized for his age. However, they had been waiting for the assessment of his development, too.

Zach skimmed the written report to pick up the highlights.

Damon said, "His score fell into the superior range but that could change if he's tested again in a few years. Because of Victor's age he was only tested on five of fifteen subsets so the results are somewhat incomplete."

The younger Salvatore brother flashed a proud smile. "That's still good news. Victor is just quiet and there is nothing wrong with that."

Ric said, "Let me see the results."

Zach obliged his brother's gruff demand. "I am glad that you went through with this, Damon. It is better that we know everything possible about Victor. Will he join the other children in the homeschool classroom?"

"I was thinking that he should. Victor is old enough for preschool. Besides, I wouldn't want him to feel left out when the other kids are learning," Damon mused aloud.

Stefan suggested, "We should hire another tutor. I want someone that is fluent in French. Victor's education shouldn't suffer because he transitions between English and French so often."

They had four tutors that taught the Salvatore children. However, the only bilingual tutor spoke English and Spanish. They had hired her at the beginning of the school year when Lucian expressed an interest in Spanish. At 12-years-old he was Zach's eldest son and the oldest child in the house.

Zach replied, "I think that is a great idea. I'll take care of it."

Damon hummed in agreement. "I've been talking to Katherine about allowing Nadia to be homeschooled here, too. She's been learning French her entire life. I would like her to continue that."

Stefan smiled a little. He knew that Lilly would love to know that Nadia spoke French. She had been touched to learn that Stefan and Damon still spoke French fluently. She had assumed that her sons had lost all connection to their heritage after she fled the country. Giuseppe had always been dismissive of the French side of Lilly's family. Frankly, he only married her because Domenico had coveted her father's political connections.

Zach hummed in agreement. "It is better for children to learn a second language when they are young. Easier…"

Ric snorted. "They should all be learning Italian. You know how easy it is to lose the connection to the old world, Zacharias."

The man was inclined to agree with his brother, barring is sour attitude. Speaking Italian was essential to doing business in Milazzo. It was bad enough that Damon didn't possess a deep abiding love for the birthplace of their forefathers. His nephew enjoyed visiting Milazzo but he was decidedly American and preferred to spend his time here.

Damon ignored his uncle's attitude and said, "We can do that, too. Right, Zio?"

He nodded. "I'll find someone that can teach the kids Italian, too. Most of them know common phrases but...you're right about the need for fluency."

Damon asked, "Are you done bitching now?"

"Do you want me to drag Zio out of his bed? He can tell you that I'm right," Ric griped.

"I just said you had a fucking point! If you are looking for a fight you can go to bed, too," Damon snapped.

Zacharias shook his head. "He's just in a bad mood because Jo and the twins went to Abby's house for dinner tonight. He saw the pictures on Instagram."

Damon's expression softened a little. "Shit...I didn't know. I'm sorry. Have you talked to Jo or Abby?"

Ric glared but his pain was obvious. His children wanted nothing to do with him. The mothers of his children wanted nothing to do with him. Lilly wanted to offer him a port in the storm but he knew better. He didn't hate her the way that Damon and Zach did, but he didn't trust her. Ric knew that she was up to something. He just hadn't figured out what yet.

He said, "I'm picking up Cooper and Savannah tomorrow. But Abby said that she won't make Jamie spend time with me until he's ready. He's been responding to my messages so...that's something. Lizzie and Josie have been responding to my messages, too."

Zach nodded. "I know this is a bitter pill to swallow, Ric. But the girls are teenagers and Jamie is nearly there, too. You add normal teenage angst to this situation and it is a recipe for chaos. It is better to take it slowly instead of demanding what you want. They haven't shut you out completely and that is a good sign."

"You're right...I just miss my kids," he replied sullenly. "Anyway, we aren't here to talk about my fucked up life. What's happening with Velocita?"

Damon said, "We have pulled even with Bonnie for votes but...it is going to get ugly if we take this in front of shareholders. Internal turmoil like this is bad for business. Velocita is too important to both of our families to allow this to become a protracted fight. I think it would be better to offer Bonnie a deal."

Ric frowned. "Is that wise? The girl has been kicking your ass since December."

He snorted. "You don't need to remind me of that. But part of being the boss is doing what is best for everyone. A pyrrhic victory does nothing for me. I'll just come out looking small and irresponsible."

Zach smiled at his nephew with a sense of pride. "What did you have in mind, nipote?"

Damon rolled his eyes at Zach. He asked, "How do you feel about sharing the CEO position with Ayana?"

Zach was taken aback by the suggestion. "That is a unique solution to our problem. Dual CEOs aren't unheard of but it's certainly not common place. I have worked with Ayana frequently since the merger. We have a good working relationship. I would even say that we are friends."

Ric lifted an eyebrow. "Or she's been playing you the way Abby and Bonnie played us…"

Stefan said, "Maybe but Zio doesn't have the habit of being a complete asshole."

Damon chuckled at his younger brother. "You have a point. You and Uncle Zach are well liked by the Benedettos. They have real reasons for hating our family...it's not just hostility for hostility's sake."

Zach said, "I would be willing to try it to keep the peace. Besides, I will do anything that helps the company...you know that, Damon. Do you think that Bonnie will go for it?"

"Bonnie might not like me but she wouldn't sabotage Velocita. Rejecting my compromise would be tantamount to sabotage...I would certainly present it to the board and shareholders that way."

Watching Bonnie settle her family's disputes with her own two hands had been an eye opening experience. It was the last push that Damon needed to abandon his former view of her. She was not the little girl that chased Stefan through these halls once upon a time. Bonnie was a skilled killer that had been hardened by life. She had a mind for the business but was wise enough to lean on those who knew more. Bonnie also wasn't opposed to learning from the more seasoned individuals in her life. Damon now understood that he had to treat her as his equal or she would try to bury him. Ultimately, he had walked away from the experience with a morbid sense of pride. Bonnie was deserving of her position as boss of the Benedetto family. He even found himself feeling a form of gratitude towards Giuseppe. The old man had manys flaws, but the best thing he ever did was arrange the marriage between Damon and Bonnie. In many ways, the estranged couple were mirror images of each other. He was even more dedicated to winning back Bonnie.

Zacharias nodded and said, "I think it is a reasonable proposal. It will give us an opportunity to see if Bonnie can be reasonable where our family is concerned. Can we be partners or is the animus too great?"

"I think that Bunny will agree to the proposal. She has a lot on her plate. This would lighten her load while still netting a win. Besides, her complaints about Velocita aren't unfounded. R&D hasn't received nearly as much attention as it should. Just looking at the yearly expenditures from before and after the merger bears that out. The company has been too focused on our end of the business. We haven't made full use of BTS," Stefan replied.

Damon nodded in agreement. "After the merger, I was worried about screwing up. I leaned into the aspects of the business that I knew best. Taking a big swing with R&D would have led to profit loss if it was unsuccessful. I knew Giuseppe had only granted me the position because I agreed to the marriage arrangement. I was expecting him to depose me the moment I faltered."

Zach sighed but nodded. He loved his older brother but Giuseppe had been waiting for his son to fail. He had been furious when Damon was successful. Giuseppe despised the idea of relinquishing any amount of power. That should have been their first hint that he wouldn't retire from the mob peacefully. In those early days, Zach had worked non-stop with his nephew to ensure he didn't fail.

Ric asked, "When are you going to suggest this compromise to Bonnie?"

"I was thinking I would bring it up Sunday at lunch. It is a casual setting and we're usually in a good mood," he replied.

Bonnie had honored her promise to have lunch with Damon and the kids every Sunday after Mass. The first two meetings had been pleasant. Bonnie was even kind to Nadia despite her hatred of Katherine. However, Damon struggled to stay civil after learning that Tyler and Bonnie were going out on real dates. He had people keeping an eye on his wife without her knowledge. However, he refused to let their relationship troubles interfere with family time.

Besides, Elena had been diligently working on their scheme. Several members of her family and close friends suspected that she was pregnant. She planned to break the news to Tyler this weekend. Abby was hosting a send-off party for Big John tomorrow evening. The man had been stateside for over three weeks at this point. It was past time for him to return home. However, he had waited until he felt that his family was safe here.

Damon and Elena both agreed that confronting Tyler while he was at Big John's party would have the biggest impact. The mobster was also hoping that the big reveal would turn some of the Benedetto family against Tyler. Certainly, they wouldn't be eager for Bonnie to be in another relationship with a man who had a complicated situation with his ex-girlfriend. Damon was just pleased that Angelo had found a doctor willing to participate in this farce.

Stefan said, "I think that's a good idea. You need to remind Bonnie that our families don't have to be enemies. It's better for everyone involved if we show a united front."

Zach said, "Speaking of united fronts...how goes things up north, Ric?"

Ric said, "Elijah sent Klaus up north to shut down the Dezerians' little business. He racked up a body count and sent them scattering back in December. They haven't been as brazen but something is happening."

Damon tapped his pen against the desk. "There have been some skirmishes between our people and them. They have been peddling their heroin different places all over the state. They haven't set up shop anywhere specific."

Zach nodded. "The Dezerians are obviously testing the waters with both organizations. They want to know what they can get away with under your rule."

Damon darkly replied, "They will find that I have an even lower tolerance for bullshit than Giuseppe did. Once Big John is safely back in Milazzo, I want more of our attention focused on shutting down this bullshit with the Dezerians."

Damon had wisely been keeping a close eye on Bonnie and her family since Giuseppe's funeral. Until the confrontation at the beach house, he hadn't realized just how much they hated his family. Bonnie was angry with him but she didn't have a desire to kill him. He knew the same probably wasn't true for Big John and his sons. He wouldn't feel better until there was an ocean between them again.

Ric said, "I'll take care of this, Damon. You have my word on that."

Damon knew that Alaric was having a difficult time with his family. However, he had always been able to count on his uncle on business matters. Frankly, crushing the competition would serve as a great release valve. He nodded. "Thank you. Have we got an update from Uncle Jackie?"

Giacomo had returned to Milazzo to maintain order. Things were in upheaval now that the Loiaconos had officially left the Salvatore organization. Damon was concerned that other crews might try to follow suit. He also didn't believe that Bonnie had truly revealed all the moles in his organization. It would be foolish to waste decades of work put in by her great-grandmother and grandmother. Damon was certain that his wife wasn't foolish when it came to the business.

Zach nodded. "Everything has been quiet thus far but that could change when Big John returns home. Bonnie was pulling his strings here but he's the boss across the ocean. We'll have to see what moves he makes-if any. However, I'm hoping that his friendship with Zio will keep the peace. There's never been any bad blood between them to our knowledge."

Damon hoped that Zach was right. However, they had learned that the Benedettos were fond of the long game. They had been waging a silent war against the Salvatores for decades all because his grandfather was a racist son of a bitch. However, Damon got the distinct feeling that it was more than that. Emily was a woman of color in a powerful position, she had to be used to people disrespecting her. Damon's grandfather must have done something beyond the pale. He wondered if her family knew the whole story or if they had been blindly following her orders from beyond grave. In anycase, Giuseppe using Sheila as a punching bag for years would probably be enough to keep the feuding brewing long after Emily's death. Damon certainly hadn't helped matters by treating Bonnie poorly. He had unwittingly reinforced her family's beliefs about his.

Stefan asked, "Do we need to send some of our guys in from surrounding areas to make sure we keep control of the situation?"

Damon frowned and said, "No, Big John could take it as an act of aggression. But I think there's nothing wrong with having them ready for anything."

"I'll talk to Uncle Jackie about it. He'll know which crews to call in for support if necessary. When things are settled here, we'll need to take a trip over, Damon," Zach declared.

"You're right," the raven-haired mobster agreed. "I'm the boss now. I think it would be smart to visit Milazzo a couple times a year. The old man had the right way of it. I should have done this before now but I was…"

"Young," Ric offered.

"Arrogant," Zach added with a smile. He was proud that Damon saw the errors in his ways.

Stefan said, "Dismissive."

Damon glared a this brother. "I don't see you running to visit Milazzo."

Stefan shrugged with a smirk. "I'm wasn't the heir."

He snorted in reply. "Is there anything else that I need to know?"

Zach cleared his throat and glanced at his older brother. "Bonnie has hired a top flight security company. They will be starting Monday morning. She is also in the market for a new house. Actually, she's looking for an estate. She's planning for her mother and siblings to move in with her."

Damon and Stefan immediately looked at Ric cautiously.

Ric's jaw clenched a few times and the grip on his glass tightened. Finally, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He said, "I've been expecting something like this. There's no way that Abby's family would allow her to continue living in a house that I bought. Not after...not after what happened. I'm shocked that she isn't taking the kids to Milazzo. It's not like I have the legal right to stop her."

Zach put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Damon rubbed at his temples. Bonnie buying a large home was bad news for him, too. It would be that much harder to get her back home. He asked, "Any idea where she's looking?"

"Yes, she's looking in the same general area where Abby is living now. She doesn't want to move so far away from Jamie and Cooper's private school," Zach explained.

He nodded and then glanced at his watch. He sighed, "We should get ready to leave, Zio. I don't want to be late to our meeting with the padre."

Zacharias nodded but he suspected that Damon merely wanted to distract himself. Father Kieran was booked into a penthouse suite at the Claiborne on their dime. The man would be there to answer Damon's questions whenever he arrived. He motioned for Stefan to follow him out the room.

Stefan walked out the office and looked at his uncle expectantly.

"You keep an eye on Ric while we are gone. Don't let him leave this house. Do you understand?" he said.

He nodded. "I'll keep an eye on him, Zio. I promise."

Zach ruffled the younger man's hair.

Stefan rolled his eyes and batted Zach's hands away.

Zach chuckled as Damon walked out the office. "I'll call to check in later."

Damon clapped his brother on the back. "Keep an ear out for the kids, yeah?"

"Yes," he said with a huff.

Damon chuckled and walked out to the waiting car. He climbed into the backseat with Zacharias and tried to relax. He felt anxious about talking to Father Kieran. Damon could think of many terrible moments in his life but somewhere near the top was that counseling session with Bonnie. Hearing his wife talk about some man assaulting her made him sick to his stomach. What's worse was that she had kept it a secret in fear of his reaction. She truly thought that he would shun her because she had been 'spoiled' in some way. Damon hated that she felt that way, but he realized there were many who would have taken that view. However, he wasn't one of those people. He knew something about being vulnerable to the whims of someone's demons. Damon had seen Dr. Correa just last week to discuss his own demons. He was grateful that the psychiatrist was willing to see him again after the last debacle.

He asked, "Is Father Kieran willing to play ball with us?"

Zach looked up from his phone and nodded. "He's named his price and we'll pay it."

Damon scoffed. "So much for the seal of confession. What does the good father want?"

"A not insignificant donation."

"To his pockets?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Zach chuckled, "Father Kieran might not be what the Vatican would call a good priest but he isn't craven. He genuinely wants us to donate to a worthy charity. I checked out the charity and it's on the up and up."

Damon snorted, "Do gooder."

"Someone has to be," he replied sagely.

"I suppose you have a point," Damon muttered.

When they arrived, Zacharias and Damon took the elevator up to Father Kieran's suite. The elder of the two men knocked on the door.

Father Kieran opened the door and waved the men inside.

Zacharias said, "Thank you for seeing us, Kieran."

The man walked to the couch and sat down. "Well, you flew me out here first class, Zacharias."

He sat down and said, "That I did…"

Damon unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat in the armchair. "My uncle explained the situation you. Yes?"

Kieran said, "You are interested in confessions given by your wife some years ago."

He nodded.

"Well, I am sorry to disappoint you but I didn't hear those confessions. I heard many confessions from Bonnie when she was a little girl. However, during that summer I had relinquished those duties to another priest."

Damon's eyes hardened. He spat, "And you decided it was wise to waste my time, Father?"

Kieran chuckled, "The impatience of youth. I would not have brokered a deal with your uncle if I couldn't be of some assistance. I did not hear young Bonnie's confessions that summer but Father Finn did. He came to me with a dilemma. He told me that a young parishioner was being abused by an adult male. He left out all identifying information to avoid violating the seal of confession...which is punishable by excommunication. I never knew the girl's identity until Zacharias contacted me."

Zacharias had not been expecting that revelation. The Mikaelsons had been their allies for years. He couldn't believe that Finn had kept something so important a secret...vows or not.

Damon looked downright murderous.

Kieran continued, "Finn came to me for advice on the matter. He could not break the seal of confession but he wanted to help this girl. He feared for her physical safety and mental health. He was worried that she might harm herself to stop the abuse. I believe that she was abusing pills to cope. I suggested that he could use his family's connections to make this man rethink his actions."

Damon stared at the priest in open shock. He couldn't believe that Father Kieran had made such a suggestion. He asked, "Did Father Finn take your advice?"

"I would assume that he did. I asked him about the situation some time later and he said it had been resolved. The young girl was safe and her abuser had been removed from the situation. I did not ask for more details and he did not offer any," he explained.

Zach's head was swimming as he tried to make sense of this. He had heard the stories of Finn's actions before he became a priest. The man's hands were soaked in blood. It would appear that joining the priesthood had not squelched his true nature. He looked at Damon. "Bonnie made it seem that this man was still alive, right?"

Damon nodded. "Yes, it seemed that way. Finn managed to get this coward to back off and leave Bonnie alone...somehow. We'll need to have a conversation with Father Finn."

The older man looked at his nephew warily. "A respectful conversation…"

They could not risk alienating the Mikaelson family. They were already on thin ice with the Benedetto organization. Zach had to make sure they played this the right way. He was tempted to reach out to Elijah first. Perhaps he could reason with his older brother.

"Of course," he conceded through gritted teeth.

Father Kieran asked, "Have I fulfilled my end of the deal?"

Zach nodded. "Yes, I will complete the wire transfer to the charity you requested, Father."

He nodded with a mild smile. "Thank you."

"Thank you for your time. Please, enjoy the suite for the rest of the week."

Father Kerian walked the men to the door. "I will be sure to do that."

Damon looked at his uncle as they waited for the elevator. "I think that we should head over to the rectory to pay Father Finn a visit."

"I think that we need to talk to Elijah first. You bursting into the rectory and demanding answers from Father Finn isn't the way to play this."

The younger man wasn't pleased with his uncle's suggestion but he saw the wisdom of it. "Then call Zio Ric. He and Elijah have always been thick as thieves. Ask him to call in a favor with his friend."

Damon thought that Bonnie's dedication to the church made more sense now. She attended Mass regularly. She also made generous donations of her money and time. She had even spearheaded the efforts to update the rectory. The building had fallen into some minor disrepair over the years.

Zach nodded. "Okay."

He thought it was worth a shot. Elijah was Ric's best friend. It had been this way for as long as he could remember. Certainly, the name of a rapist wasn't worth years of friendship and goodwill. However, Zach also knew that Elijah could not control his older brother. Father Finn was a complicated soul that had joined the priesthood despite his parents vehement protests. He would not be cowed by his younger brother. Elijah was only boss because Finn had spurned the role.

Damon suggested, "You should try leaning on Freya, too. The two of you have a rapport, right?"

"Once upon a time and she has always been closer to Finn than any of their other siblings. It's worth a try," Zach replied.


	70. Unexpected

Elena sighed heavily as she glanced at her phone-again. She had been sitting in her car for nearly thirty minutes trying to bolster her courage. She felt ill-prepared to face Tyler tonight. The situation was made more untenable by the location that Damon had chosen for this confrontation. He had planned every detail of this scheme to cause maximum damage to Tyler and Bonnie's relationship. Elena thought that his plan was a bit cruel and unnecessary. Nevertheless, she felt incapable of stopping what would surely be a train wreck. When the don asks for a favor, it was unwise to deny him.

Mentally, Elena had been painting herself as an innocent bystander. She was thrust into a conflict between two powerful people. It made sense for her to cling to the person offering her a lifeline. Yet, there was a tiny voice in the back of Elena's head that called her a liar and a coward. She didn't owe Bonnie anything because they had never been more than casual acquaintances. However, she had thrown Jeremy and Tyler under the bus to save herself. Elena knew that she wouldn't be so wracked with guilt if the scheme would save her life or from grave injury. Instead, she was merely saving herself from an arranged marriage with a man she didn't know.

Young women that did not grow up in the mob might understand her desperate actions. Most of the Western world believed that arranged marriages were archaic and misogynistic. However, Elena knew that she would find no support from the women and girls that had grown up around the mob. They all knew that marrying for love was a luxury and not a right. Many of their mothers, aunts, sisters, and cousins had been married off to men for the greater good. The women did their duty because it was all they had ever known. Moreover, it was the best way to prevent bloodshed. Alliances through marriage brought peace and ensured diplomacy in the moments when it was most needed.

It was just after 10 o'clock at night and she was parked in front of Abby Bennett's house. She had hoped that the party would be over by now but it looked as if the celebration would stretch well into the night. Elena took a deep breath and stuffed the phone into her purse. She wouldn't be able to weasel her way out of this situation. It was best to just get it done. Elena was already fulfilling the other part of her bargain with Damon. She had arranged several 'chance' meetings between Jeremy and Greta. Damon had already spoken to the young woman and she knew that Jeremy was to be her future husband. Greta had taken the knowledge without a word of complaint. She knew her duty and wouldn't try to escape it like Elena had.

Elena climbed out of the BMW that her parents bought her for Christmas. It was just another reminder of the bill she had been accruing her entire life. Elena had always benefited from her family's connection to the Salvatore crime family's illicit business. Now her bill had come due and the payment made her sick to her stomach. Elena reasoned that her path was better than the one her younger brother was following. In this case, she was actually grateful for the mob's misogynistic tendencies. They didn't believe that women were capable of more than being wives and arm candy. She would never be asked to do anything more nefarious than this.

She rang the bell and waited for someone to answer the door. She hoped that the melody could be heard over the loud music playing inside the house. Elena was worried that she would lose her nerve if she was left to stew for too long. She ran a nervous hand over her pin-straight hair. It was all brushed over one shoulder since Tyler had always liked it that way. In fact, her entire outfit had been selected to appeal to his sensibilities. She couldn't speak to what Tyler liked about Bonnie, but she knew why he had been attracted to her. She had been Bonnie's polar opposite and he had liked that about her.

A moment later, Lucy opened the door with a wide smile on her face. However, her expression changed when she saw Elena standing there. She couldn't think of any good reason for the girl to turn up on Abby's doorstep. Lucy's eyes narrowed in suspicion as a sinking feeling developed in the pit of her stomach.

Elena shifted nervously under the older woman's harsh gaze. She had seen Lucy many times during events held at the Salvatore Manor. The gap in their ages meant that they had scarcely spoken. Yet it seemed that Lucy had already formed a negative opinion of her. Elena took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She knew from the outset that people would be unhappy with this. "Is Tyler here? I really need to speak to him."

Lucy smirked at the girl she said, "Strike one was showing up here after your smart mouth nearly got you punched on New Year's Eve. Strike two is standing there acting like you don't know Tyler is here. His entire family is here. If you get to strike three I'll slam the door in your face. And I will make sure that you are ignored for the rest of the night."

Elena blinked because she had not expected this. She was also worried that her behavior on New Year's Eve would come back to bite her. Maybe Tyler and Bonnie would be suspicious of this pregnancy since she had acted like a bitter ex-fiance. She said, "I need to talk to Tyler. It's important and it really can't wait. I wouldn't be here if it weren't serious."

She eyed the girl for a long moment and then beckoned her inside. Lucy didn't trust Elena for a single second. However, she couldn't turn the girl away without informing Tyler of her presence. He would have to decide whether to listen to Elena or send her away.

Elena stepped into the house and said, "Thank you."

"Wait here," she replied.

Lucy grimaced and then walked to the guest suite that belonged to Bonnie. She had watched Tyler and her younger cousin sneak out together maybe an hour ago. She didn't blame them for trying to get some alone time. Bonnie wasn't ready for Sarah to know that she was dating Tyler. Therefore, he couldn't spend the night at Abby's house. They only had time alone during dates and sometimes afterwards if Bonnie wasn't too tired.

She entered the suite and then knocked on the bedroom door loud enough to get their attention. She called out, "Tyler, someone is here to see you. She said that it was important and couldn't wait until tomorrow."

Tyler answered the door a couple minutes later. He was hastily dressed and looked angry. He asked, "Who is here to see me?"

"Elena…"

He stared at Lucy for a beat. He couldn't fathom why Elena would come to Abby's house to see him. His eyebrows furrowed as he recalled a couple missed calls from her. However, she hadn't left a message to explain why she called. He groaned and asked, "Where is she now?"

"I left her in the foyer."

Tyler turned around to look at Bonnie.

She was wearing a mint green satin robe. She cleared her throat and said, "You should go see what she wants, Ty. I doubt she would come here without good reason."

Tyler walked over to Bonnie and kissed her softly. "I'll be back soon."

She nodded. "I'll probably be in the shower."

He couldn't fault Bonnie for putting an end to their night. It wasn't as if either of them would be interested in sex after he dealt with Elena. Tyler said, "Okay."

Lucy glanced at the sullen expression on her cousin's face.

Tyler sidled around Lucy and then walked out to the foyer. He tensed when he saw Elena standing there. She looked so small and out of place amidst all the celebration. The drinks had been flowing since before sunset. Tyler was certainly on the wrong side of inebriated at this point. He stopped in front of Elena. "What are you doing here, Elena? This isn't exactly a good time."

"I'm sorry. I tried calling earlier but you didn't answer the phone. We need to talk," she replied timidly and grasped his hand.

He noted the way her hand trembled. Immediately, his suspicion was replaced with concern. "Come with me. I'll find somewhere quieter for us to talk."

Elena's heart fluttered when she saw Tyler's obvious concern for her. Their relationship hadn't been all bad. In fact, it was only in this last year that the cracks had started forming in their relationship-from her vantage point.

Tyler walked into office. He turned on the lights and then closed the door for privacy. He motioned to a chair in front of the desk and sat in the other one. "What's wrong?"

Elena sat in the chair and looked down at her hands for a few moments. She hated manipulating Tyler in this way. She had to keep reminding herself that the alternative was marrying Angelo Salvatore. She wouldn't do that under any circumstances. Elena wished that she hated him. Hating Tyler would make it so much easier. "I'm pregnant, Tyler."

Tyler was drunk and completely out of sorts. However, those three words were like a dozen cups of coffee injected directly into his veins. Suddenly, his mouth felt dry and his tongue felt heavy. He shook his head. "No...we haven't slept together since before Thanksgiving. If you're pregnant then someone else has to be the father."

She shook her head and slowly pulled a sonogram from her purse. She handed it to Tyler. "The dates line up. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't certain that you were the father."

Tyler squinted to read the tiny white words printed on the picture. He looked up when Elena passed a lab report to him as well.

"I have been sick for a few weeks. I thought it was just a stomach bug. It wouldn't be the first time I caught something while working at the hospital. I told my mom and she suggested that I see a doctor. My menstrual cycle has always been a little unpredictable. It's been even more so since starting medical school. The constant stress…"

He swallowed thickly. Tyler was at odds with himself. He had always wanted to be a father. However, Elena wasn't the person he imagined being the mother to his children. It had little to do with his love for Bonnie and everything to do with the fact that Elena had never accepted who he was. She wanted a civilian and Tyler would never be that. He asked, "What about Aaron?"

Elena had been prepared for Tyler to mention Aaron. She knew that he suspected her of cheating. She was ashamed to admit that Tyler was right. She had been seeing Aaron behind Tyler's back for months. However, she had to lie to him now. Elena was grateful that she hadn't been foolish enough to admit the truth when they broke up. She shook her head. "I will not lie to you. My relationship with Aaron wasn't completely platonic. I had an emotional affair with him. He was there when you started pulling away from me."

Tyler looked down at the sonogram again. He had pulled away from Elena incrementally. He couldn't stand her nearly constant silent disapproval.

"I can't...I can't do this alone, Tyler. I can't raise this baby alone. It's still early enough...I mean there's time to end it," she whispered.

Tyler had to strain his ears to hear the last words she spoke. His expression looked as if she had slapped him. Tyler got to his feet so fast that the lab report and sonogram fell to the floor. "You can't be serious! An abortion?!"

Elena forced herself to produce some tears. She avoided his gaze and sniffled. "I'm not proud of my thoughts, but I can't deny them. I am so busy with school and work. Maybe I could balance all of it now. I mean plenty of women work until they're ready to give birth. But what am I going to do afterwards? I am not equipped or prepared to raise a baby alone."

"Alone?" he asked. "Do you really think that I wouldn't be there for our baby? I am not going to abandon the two of you. You and the baby will want for nothing."

"I know that you would be part of his or her life. I also know that we would be cared for financially, but I would be the one getting up in the middle of the night for feedings and diaper changes. I...I need you, Tyler. I think that we can make it work if we both tried harder this time around. I know that...I know that I pushed you away, too. I didn't mean to do that. I just had a hard time accepting that you wanted all of this," she motioned vaguely around them.

Elena's gut churned as she spun this horrible story. She hoped that Tyler wouldn't mention this conversation to her parents. Their involvement would ruin everything. Grayson and Miranda Gilbert voted democrat in every election but they were still Catholic. Her parents believed in reproductive rights for other people but not their own daughter. Elena couldn't predict their exact reaction but it wouldn't be good. Moreover, it would draw unwanted attention to her fake pregnancy.

Fortunately, Tyler was either too drunk or shocked to consider that. He slowly sat down because he now understood her dilemma. If Tyler wasn't living in the house with Elena then the majority of the responsibility would fall to her. He'd be a weekend dad until the baby was older. Then he was struck by an idea. "What if I took the baby after it's born?"

Elena's jaw dropped because she hadn't expected that from him. She asked, "What?"

"I can move back home with my parents. Mom would be over the moon to have one of her grandkids in the house. She hates that Lexi and the kids live so far away. Mom has plenty of free time and we can hire a full-time nanny, too. Brady is still crashing in my parents' basement most of the time. He can help, too. You could get the baby whenever your schedule allowed. I know it isn't traditional but it could work," he swore.

The young woman's eyes were as wide as saucers as Tyler rattled off his insane plan. The churning feeling in her stomach grew worse by the second. Tyler was willing to turn his life upside down for her and their fake baby. She scrambled for a way to shoot down his reasonable idea. She asked, "What about Bonnie? I doubt she'd be happy that we're having a baby together."

His ex-girlfriend's words hit their target like a heat seeking missile. Bonnie was perhaps the most caring woman he knew but she had self-esteem issues. She also had trust issues. Tyler would have to spend a great deal of time with Elena before and after the baby was born. Would Bonnie be able to trust him? Would she believe that he wouldn't betray her as Damon had?

Tyler replied, "I am sure it will take some time for Bonnie to adjust, but she loves kids. She loved Sarah so much that she adopted her. She's even building a relationship with Nadia and it's no secret how she feels about Katherine. I don't have all the answers right now but we can make this work, Elena. Just don't make any decisions that we can't take back. Please."

Elena blinked back real tears because this was worse than she had expected. Tyler already had his heart set on a baby that wasn't real. In a few weeks, she'd have to fake a miscarriage and break his heart. Worse yet, Damon wanted to stage the scene so that Tyler would believe he was at fault. Elena had objected to that idea from the beginning and tonight had only strengthened her resolve. Making Tyler believe he was responsible for the death of their fake child would destroy him. She couldn't be party to that.

Tyler brushed away the tears sliding down Elena's cheeks. "No matter how our relationship ended, I still care about you, Elena. I won't let you down. I promise."

According to Damon's plan, she was supposed to get loud and start an argument now. She was supposed to embarrass Tyler in front of his and Bonnie's families. Elena just couldn't bring herself to do that. She didn't have the emotional energy to pull off that sort of lie. She would have to devise some other way to complicate Tyler and Bonnie's relationship.

She nodded slowly. "I promise that abortion is off the table. We'll figure out something else."

Tyler's shoulders sagged in relief. He stood and then pulled Elena into a fierce hug. He stepped back and looked at her flat stomach. "You won't regret this. I promise. We're going to be parents."

Elena smiled up at him and said, "I believe in you."

"Thanks," he replied. He picked up the lab report and sonogram.

"You can keep those. I have copies at home."

Tyler smiled. "Okay."

"You should probably tell your parents soon. Mine already know about the baby. It won't stay a secret long...you know how people love to talk. And this will be good gossip," she whispered sadly.

Tyler scrubbed a hand over his face because she was right. It might take a couple days but soon everyone in the Salvatore and Benedetto organizations would know the whole story. "I'll talk to them first thing in the morning. No one is sober enough for rational conversation tonight."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Come on. I'll walk you out."

Tyler turned out the office's lights and then walked Elena to her car.

"You didn't have to come all the way out here. You're not even wearing shoes," she said.

"It's fine," he replied quietly. "Text me when you make it home?"

Elena bit her lip and climbed into the car. She said, "I will."

"Good night, Lena," Tyler said. He walked back to the curb and waited for her to leave.

Elena gave a quick wave and then drove away.

Tyler released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Then he slowly walked back into the house. He had been honest with Elena. He would do anything for her and the baby. However, he was also aware of what that might cost him. Bonnie supported Damon's relationship with Nadia because they were no longer together. She didn't care how much or how little time he was spending with Katherine. The same would not apply to him. She would see shadows where there were none.

He walked into the house and nearly jumped out his skin because Lucy was standing there. "Hey…"

"How bad is it? I'm not prying into your business. I just want to know what level of comfort my cousin is going to need," she said in a quiet voice.

Tyler's face fell. He would have preferred if Lucy was ready to punch his lights out. Her concern made him worry even more. He said, "Feel like going to pick up some In and Out for Bonnie?"

Lucy slowly released a breath. "Shit."

"It's nothing that I've done recently but…"

Lucy shook her head. She said, "You don't need to tell me. I'll get Brady and we'll go pick up some comfort food."

"Don't forget thousand island dressing. She has to have it for her fries," he said.

She smiled a little and patted him on the back. "I know…"

Tyler slowly made his way back to Bonnie's room. He felt guilty even though he didn't do anything wrong.

Bonnie had showered while Tyler was talking to Elena. Now she was changing the sheets on her bed.

He murmured, "Let me help you with that."

"The fitted sheet is on now. The rest can wait. Is everything okay with Elena?" Bonnie asked. Her green eyes narrowed on the folded paper in his hands.

Tyler sat on the side of the bed. He handed her the report and sonogram. "Elena is pregnant. She says that I'm the only one that could be the father."

Bonnie felt lightheaded as she considered the estimated date of conception. Tyler hadn't lied to her or been unfaithful. They were just unlucky. She immediately felt guilty for thinking about his child as an unlucky event. She struggled to recover quickly but the words didn't come.

"Bon…" Tyler asked worriedly.

"Congratulations!" Bonnie said with a forced smile. "That's amazing news, Ty."

Tyler cupped her cheek. "Don't do that…"

"I'm happy for you," she replied.

He sighed softly. "Bon…"

"No, I am. Or at least I will be when I get over the shock. You've always wanted to be a dad. This is good news. I just need time to get over the initial shock."

He studied Bonnie's face and then began to relax. She had never been able to lie to him directly. He could tell that she was being truthful. "I just...I want you to know that this doesn't change anything for us."

Bonnie smiled sadly. "This changes everything for us, Ty."

"You don't think you could love my son or daughter?" he asked with a wounded expression. He adored Sarah and went out of his way to make her like him.

She shook her head quickly. "Don't be stupid. I would love your child no matter the mother."

"Then I don't understand what you mean. I'm not going to get back with Elena. That bridge is burned," he declared.

"You know how we were both raised. Are you truly okay with your child being born a bastard? What will your parents say about that?"

Tyler felt as if he had been sucker punched. He hadn't considered that side of things. He had been so focused on convincing Elena to keep the baby. Then he had been concerned about reassuring Bonnie. However, Tyler's parents would raise hell if their grandchild was born out of wedlock. Bonnie's family shared the same belief. It was the main reason that she agreed to stay married to Damon until after the twins were born.

Bonnie took Tyler's hand because she could see that he was freaking out. She almost regretted giving voice to her concerns, but he needed to have a plan before telling his parents. She loved Richard but he was a hard man that believed in tradition. He would pressure his son to do the right thing for his grandchild.

"Bon…"

She kissed him softly.

"What was that for?" he asked in surprise.

"For courage because you're going to need it," she said with a chuckle.

He rolled his eyes. "This isn't funny."

"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just...we're cursed," she said with a shake of her heard.

"We're not curse," he huffed.

Bonnie smiled a little. "It certainly feels like we are. Every time we try to get together...something gets in our way. Your baby is a blessing and I mean that sincerely. But the fallout is decidedly not…"

He admitted, "No...it's not. I have no idea what I am going to do but I know that I can't do this without you, Bon."

"I'm not going anywhere, Ty. Whether we're together or just friends...I will always be here," she promised.

Tyler's eyes darkened. "Just friends is not even on the table."

"Ty…"

"No, there's nothing to talk about on that front. I've waited too long. I had to watch you marry that asshole. I listened to you be miserable for four years. The whole time I loved you so damn much. Do you know how many times I thought about killing him?"

Bonnie looked into his eyes and smiled wryly. She rested her head on his shoulder. "You thought about whacking my husband and then what? We would run away together?"

"Loiaconos and Benedettos don't run," he said while stroking her back. His fingers slid over the skin exposed by her tank top.

"No, we don't," she agreed. She bit her lip. "I hate to bring this up…"

"What?" he asked.

"I know that Elena said that you are the father but are you sure. I mean...you suspected that she was cheating on you."

Tyler said, "I don't think Elena would lie about this. If she had a choice, I think she'd want the baby's father to be a civilian. She really doesn't want to be involved in all this."

"Good point," she conceded.

He said, "You are going to be really angry at me."

"Why?" Bonnie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Tyler walked across the room and kicked the door closed. He locked it and said, "I am about to get you all sweaty again."

She bit her lip and said, "We can't! The party…."

He shucked off his jeans and said, "Will continue for a few more hours. I promise I'll make it quick. I just...need this. I need us."

Bonnie glared at him but there was no heat behind it. "Not too quick…"

"Never that quick," he agreed.

She stood and stripped off her clothes. "Fine but I expect foreplay."

Tyler licked his lips for emphasis. "I agree to those terms."

Bonnie ignored the shiver that went down her spine.

He crossed the room in a couple quick strides and lifted Bonnie off her feet.

She squealed in response. "Ty!"

He chuckled. "You'd better be quiet or someone might hear you."

She slapped his shoulder. "Asshole. Be nice to me."

Tyler lowered her onto the bed and kissed a line down her torso. "I'm always nice to you. But I can be nicer. Do you want me to be nicer?"

Bonnie nodded as he disappeared between her legs. Making love would only offer a short reprieve, but they both needed to feel connected to the other. They would face the fallout together in the morning.


	71. Dereliction of Duty

Elijah closed his eyes in frustration as the chauffeur drove him to Niklaus' club. He had to figure out how exposed his family was because of his brother's despicable actions. To think the night had started on such a positive note. A few hours ago, Alaric had called to ask him out for drinks. Elijah had been genuinely excited about spending time with his long-time friend. Both men had been unable to socialize lately because of upheaval in their respective families and businesses. He was also concerned about his friend's state of mind. Elijah knew that Ric was on the outs with his wife and his mistress. Judging by the content of their daily text messages his relationship woes were only the tip of the iceberg.

The first hour had gone just as Elijah had expected. The two men squirreled away in the backroom of their favorite cigar lounge to talk away from prying ears. They drank eighteen-year-old single-malt scotch and smoked cigars Elijah had picked up on his last trip to Nicaragua. They talked about the drama in their families. Elijah was especially eager to talk about his nephew coming out. He supported Andrew's decision to live openly. However, he was worried about how he would be perceived in their line of work. Meanwhile, Alaric laid out a winding tale of his missteps that led to Jo and Abby excluding him from their lives. Both men felt woefully inadequate in the face of their struggles.

However, as the night grew later Ric's attitude had shifted unexpectedly. Alaric became more serious and admitted that he needed to ask a favor of him. Elijah wasn't concerned in the beginning. The men were good friends and there wasn't much that he would deny Ric. The best friends knew what lines not to cross when asking for favors and Alaric had always been that kind of friend. Nevertheless, it felt like the room started spinning when he began talking about an unknown assailant that had raped Bonnie as a teenager. Apparently, Zacharias had tracked down Father Kieran believing that he had heard the young girl's confessions. The bastard had promptly directed them to Finn.

In theory, the favor was simple enough. What reason could Elijah have for protecting a rapist? He wasn't particularly religious so it wasn't as if he cared about the seal of confession. Frankly, Finn being excommunicated from the church would be good for their family. He could use his older brother's sage advice on business matters. Finn might have rejected his birthright but it wasn't for a lack of aptitude. Mikael had never been a particularly demonstrative man but he was vocally proud of Finn following the mob war in the 80's. He once heard his father say that Finn proved that it was his blood that flowed through his veins during the war. Elijah often consulted his brother on the more difficult matters.

Elijah had known the truth for nearly a month. He was smart enough to put together the pieces of Niklaus' story. However, he had never asked for confirmation because he wanted plausible deniability. Moreover, he just didn't want to think of his younger brother committing such a heinous crime against an innocent girl. When Elijah tried to picture 16-year-old Bonnie in his mind's eye, all he could see was a shy little girl with a beautiful smile. She was a girl young enough to be Elijah's daughter. Somehow, his brother had looked at the same girl and saw a sexual conquest. It disturbed Elijah more than he cared to admit.

He had promised Alaric that he would try to reason with Finn. What else could he do? He wouldn't ruin a more than 30-year alliance over the identity of a rapist. However, Elijah also wasn't going to hand Niklaus over to the Salvatores. He had no doubt that his brother would die painful and bloody in their hands. No matter Niklaus' crimes, Elijah would do his level best to protect him. He had sworn that Bonnie was the only underage girl he had ever violated. Elijah chose to believe his brother because he couldn't stomach the alternative. Although, he was having a hard time dealing with this option as well. What he wished for was a return to ignorance because ignorance was bliss.

Elijah had to figure out a way to send the Salvatores down the wrong path. First, he had to know if Bonnie was leading this hunt. If she was the person that lit a fire under Damon then all was lost. Elijah would have to get Niklaus out of the country before he was identified as Bonnie's rapist. He would deal with the fallout that happened afterwards. Elijah would only agree to Niklaus' death to prevent war. Even then he would never allow the Salvatores to get their hands on his brother. If Niklaus had to be put down, Elijah would be the one to do it-quickly and cleanly.

He opened his eyes when the car came to a stop. Elijah sighed and climbed out the car without waiting for the driver to open his door.

He walked up to club's door and the bouncer automatically waved him past the long line.

"Good evening, Mr. Mikaelson."

Elijah nodded and gave a half-smile. He continued into the club and went to his brother's office. Niklaus spent most of his nights holed up in that office. He no longer enjoyed the club scene as much as he once had. Elijah wasn't sure if the five years in prison changed his brother's outlook or if this was just the natural progression of maturity.

He knocked on the door and then walked in without waiting for permission.

Klaus was sitting behind his desk talking to Marcel. He looked up and smirked. "What are you doing here, brother?"

"Give us the room, Marcellus. Now," he ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.

Marcel's was surprised by the demand. He gave Klaus a pointed look and then he quickly exited the office.

Klaus rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "You stormed into my office uninvited. Now you are ordering my friends about. Why are you here, Elijah?"

Elijah locked the door then he took off his suit jacket. "You have fucked all of us, Niklaus. You have fucked us because you are bloody selfish and reckless."

The younger man blinked because Elijah rarely cursed. He didn't see the need to debase himself with vulgar language. He always claimed that curse words were the language of the poorly educated. However, he wasn't particularly concerned because he had been on his best behavior. He asked, "What have I supposedly done, brother?"

"I met with Alaric Salvatore tonight," he said while trying to tamp down his anger. Elijah was moments away from strangling his arrogant brother.

Klaus asked, "Why would seeing your boyfriend get you into such a tizzy?"

"I am in no mood for your brand of humor, brother. Alaric came to me because Damon knows that Bonnie was raped five years ago. Father Kieran pointed them in our brother's direction. Damon wants me to convince Finn to give them a name."

The color drained from Klaus' face in response. He swallowed thickly and said, "Finn won't say anything."

Elijah's anger was calmed somewhat after seeing his brother's reaction. It was nice to know that Niklaus realized that this was serious. It wasn't just his life that was in danger now. The Salvatores would never believe that Elijah had been ignorant of his brother's crimes until now. Their righteous anger was dangerous because there could be no negotiation.

"No, our brother isn't going to violate his vows. He also won't endanger your life. However, that still puts us in a very uncomfortable position with the Salvatore organization. Damon wants blood and he will have it, Niklaus. I just need to make sure it isn't yours."

Klaus' mind raced and he supplied, "You want to arrange a patsy to take the fall for me."

"Yes, that was my initial thought. However, that only works if Bonnie isn't the one goading Damon into this. Could this all be some elaborate form of revenge?" he asked.

He shook his head and slowly started to relax. "Your worries are misplaced, brother. I do not know how Damon arrived on this path but it was not Bonnie's doing. She has plans of her own and none of them involve my death."

Elijah studied his brother's face. Satisfied with what he found, Elijah slowly sat down in front of the desk. "How can you be so sure? As of late, the girl's mind seems to be a mystery to even those who know her well."

"Bonnie has had ample opportunity to kill me. My cellmate was in her pocket. He's actually still on her payroll. She could have had me murdered in prison. She certainly thought about it," he explained.

Elijah raised an eyebrow at his brother. It was hard to imagine Bonnie doing that when she had been a mere teenager at the time. "How do you know this?"

"She told me a few weeks ago. I had a burner smuggled into his cell so that I could verify her story. It's the truth. A man approached Bam-Bam, maybe a year after I started my sentence. He was paid handsomely to keep me in his sights until the order was given. However, the order never came. I have apologized to Bonnie and she has extracted her pound of flesh. She and I are as square as we can be under the circumstances."

Elijah had a hard time imagining Bonnie arranging something like that. He was more puzzled about why she never had Niklaus killed if the assassin was in place. However, he knew that she had recently taken the reins of her family's organization. It appeared that the young woman was calculated and measured in her actions.

His eyebrows furrowed in contemplation. "What do you mean that Bonnie has already extracted her pound of flesh from you?"

Niklaus held up his bandaged hand. The surgery to reattach his severed tendon had gone off without a hitch. However, the healing process would take another couple months. He also had to complete rehabilitation exercises everyday that caused him a great deal of pain. In hindsight, he realized that Bonnie had arranged a devious punishment for him with long lasting effects. He carried around a physical manifestation of the pain he caused her.

Elijah's eyes narrowed as he examined his brother's injured hand. He said, "You told me that you cut your hand on broken glass here at the club."

Niklaus took a healthy gulp of his drink and chuckled darkly. He said, "I lied."

"What happened?" he asked carefully.

The younger man looked uncomfortable for a few moments. He said, "Once I accepted Bonnie's recollection of events I had to apologize to her. I never meant to hurt her. Even my most disgraceful moment after father's funeral was a drug-fueled blunder. I only ever wanted to love Bonnie and I wanted her to love me in return. I made a terrible mistake and hurt someone I care for deeply-still. I wrote a detailed apology and gave it to Bonnie. I also promised to leave her alone if that's what she truly wanted."

Elijah was marginally relieved to know that his brother recognized the error of his ways. An apology would not erase his crimes but it was more than he had hoped for when he arrived. Perhaps his brother wasn't irredeemable. He said, "I take it that Bonnie did not accept your apology."

He chuckled wryly. "One day, Bonnie called me quite out of the blue. She invited to a little place in the middle of nowhere so that we could speak privately. She wanted to discuss my apology. When I arrived, I was accosted by several men. They suspended me from a beam and beat me with rubber hoses for...I don't know how long. Then someone used a scalpel to severe the tendon in my hand. Bonnie arrived sometime later and tended my wound."

The older man was dumbfounded as he listened to his brother recount Bonnie's revenge. He was even more confused by the odd smile on Niklaus' face. He saw a grudging respect or perhaps some sort of appreciation for the girl.

He continued, "Bonnie said that she wanted to accept my apology but found that she couldn't. I had hurt her and words, no matter how genuine, were not sufficient recompense. She had her men mutilate my non-dominant hand because she refused to impede my love of painting and drawing. She also wanted me to live with pain as she had during those weeks that I...raped her."

Elijah saw how his brother struggled to say the word. "Then she just let you go?"

He nodded. "Her cousin drove me to Marcel's house and I came up with a lie to tell you."

"Why would you lie to me, Niklaus? I needed to know about this," he argued.

The younger man rolled his eyes and took a sip from his glass. "You did not want to know, brother. You proved as much to me in this very office. The night I fought with Damon, you knew that Bonnie was the girl that I...raped. However, you chose not to verify your own suspicions. I allowed you to continue on in feigned ignorance. Telling you about Bonnie's brand of retribution would have required an explanation of her motivations."

Elijah massaged his temples and heaved a sigh. Niklaus was right of course but he did not enjoy being blindsided. "And you are sure that sending Damon after her attacker isn't another elaborate ruse on her part?"

"No, I get the sense that Bonnie isn't the type of woman that needs anyone else to defend her honor. She extracted her pound of flesh from me and then immediately offered friendship. She followed up that gracious offer by brokering a lucrative deal for me with Tommy Morra. I made quiet inquiries before accepting the deal. The rate Morra gave me is better than what he offers some of his long-time associates. Bonnie used her father's connections to make that happen. She wouldn't turn around and throw me to wolves after burning a favor of that magnitude," he declared.

Elijah nodded in agreement. He said, "And she stands to gain a lot by washing your profits from the deal."

Klaus smirked. "Perhaps but I assure you that Bonnie wasn't thinking about the money. She made this deal happen to raise my profile in the organization. When the money starts rolling in, my power and influence will increase. Just as Alaric has your ear, she will have mine. Her marriage to Damon is in shambles. She wants to establish her own alliance with us. It was the smart play to make. Now Bonnie has my loyalty because she didn't expose me to the Salvatores or her family. I owe her my life for that reason alone. Then she doubled down by ensuring that my profile in the organization will rise. My success...will in no small part be owed to her. There may come a time when she will have to use that leverage."

Elijah laughed wryly. "That is the price of her friendship?"

"You know better than most that friendships in our line of work come with agreements spoken and unspoken. It is the reason that Alaric approached you tonight. He decided to leverage your friendship to accomplish has family's goals."

He said, "You are correct but there may come a time when we are caught in the crossfire, brother. A choice will have to be made."

Niklaus sat up in his chair and looked into his brother's eyes. He said, "I would have never sided against Bonnie in a major conflict. She may not return my affections but I do love her. The most I could ever offer you would be a promise to remain neutral. As your second in command, that would be my suggestion even without my connection to Bonnie. The Salvatores and Benedettos are intertwined to their very core. Any conflict between them would be akin to a civil war and it would be unwise for anyone else to interfere. Because after they come to a resolution, they will remember who was for or against them."

Elijah hummed in agreement. Bonnie had abandoned Damon but the man obviously loved her still. He would not look kindly on anyone that hurt her-even for his own benefit. Ric had learned that the hard way and his only crime was saying a few unkind words about Bonnie in a heated moment.

"Besides, you are paying too much attention to the present, brother. Damon may be the head of the family now but in 20 or 30 years time there will be a Benedetto at the helm of his organization and another married into our family. Damon may be the father of those children but Bonnie is the one raising them. Or have you missed that Sarah lives with Bonnie and only visits Damon at the weekend?"

Elijah took a moment to consider what his brother was saying. He realized that Niklaus could be onto something. Bonnie was well on her way to overthrowing the Salvatore family without shedding a single drop of blood. She merely needed to be patient and her revenge against Niklaus suggested she was capable of such. She married into the Salvatore family and adopted Damon's daughter. She had raised the girl since she was a toddler and had an undisputed bond with her. Bonnie would soon give birth to the heir to the Salvatore organization. Her family's influence would only continue to grow as her children came of age.

He didn't know if this was truly Bonnie's plan. Afterall, his brother was only theorizing. However, it was definitely something for him to consider. Niklaus was right to say that he could not merely focus on the present. He had to be able to predict the future with some accuracy. His father had done so when he chose to align himself with Giuseppe Salvatore during the war. Mikael knew then that together they could crush their enemies and elevate their families to new heights. Now the Mikaelsons and Salvatores had a stranglehold on the West Coast in a way that would have been unfathomable before the war.

"I need to know that you are seeing this situation with Bonnie clearly, brother. But you are obviously incapable of being impartial."

Klaus nodded. He admitted, "I could never impartial where Bonnie is concerned but I am also not blind. I know that she is using our friendship to her benefit. However, I do not believe that she is lying to me...there would be no reason to do that. If she wanted me dead, I would be. If she wanted to drive a wedge between our family and the Salvatores, she could have done that. I can say with certainty that Bonnie has decided that I am more useful to her alive."

"And you are fine with this? She mutilated your hand," Elijah pointed out. That fact still didn't sit well with him.

He shrugged, "I was angry in the beginning. But I understood her point of view once I was calm. She asked what I would do if someone hurt Hope the way that I hurt her. I...it was never my intention to harm her but I did. You would not like to know the details of what I did. It was wrong because she was a minor at the time but it is made worse knowing now that it was unwelcome. Bonnie is giving me another chance and I will take it."

Elijah scowled and asked, "You still love her? How did that even happen?"

Klaus looked reluctant to answer that question. "Bonnie caught my eye years before I ever touched her."

The older man looked horrified.

He quickly explained, "I wasn't attracted to her, Elijah! She was a child for God's sake. I noticed Bonnie because she was a loner. I would see her at events and she just seemed lost. She was swallowed whole by everything around her and no one else seemed to notice. I used to watch as she tried to make herself as small as possible. It reminded me of my own childhood. I never felt that I belonged in our family. I always felt wrong in some way that I couldn't explain. I felt as if everyone that laid eyes on me knew it, too. Father certainly knew that something was wrong with me. I figured that was the reason he was always so cold and cruel towards me. Mother never intervened on my behalf so I assumed that she knew what was wrong with me, too."

Elijah's stomach turned as he listened to his brother speak so many hurtful truths. "There was nothing wrong with you, Niklaus. Our parents…"

"I am not a little boy anymore, Eli. I do not need you to reassure me. Mikael hated me because I was a bastard and our mother didn't love me enough to protect me from his wrath. I was a constant reminder of her betrayal. They would have done me an immense favor by smothering me in my cradle. Instead, they allowed me to live and proceeded to treat me like shit. I saw the same black hole in Bonnie. Her parents abandoned her. Sheila loved her but the woman was too busy to give Bonnie the love and attention she needed. She was homeschooled so she had few friends. The worst part is that when I see Bonnie now, I see the same black hole inside her. She hides it better now but it is still there. Because the thing about black holes is that once they are created, they can never be filled. It doesn't matter how much shit gets sucked into it. The night at my party, I heard her crying as she changed her ruined clothes. Bonnie has been utterly humiliated by Damon's latest plaything. She was as lost and lonely as I was and...I thought we could make each other better. I thought she would save me from this horrible thing that I was becoming. I delighted in hurting other people because it was the only way to mute my own pain. But I thought Bonnie could save me...it was selfish to seek that from a 16-year-old girl."

It pained him physically to listen to Niklaus talk about the pain he still carried around. Elijah shook his head, "I should have killed him sooner."

He looked at his brother with a perplexed expression. "Who did you kill?"

Elijah shook his head. "Mikael. I waited too long. Telling you about Hope to hurt you was the last straw. I knew that I had to get rid of him, but I should have done it sooner. I shouldn't have let you suffer for so long under his abuse. I am sorry, Niklaus."

The wheels in Klaus' head began to turn. Suddenly his stormy eyes widened in understanding. "You killed him...but the police said he was drunk."

The older man waved off his brother's query. "The police were paid to say what I wanted them to say."

"Does anyone else in the family know the truth?" he asked slowly.

He was still trying to make sense of Elijah's confession. His brother had always been the obedient and dutiful son. Klaus had a hard time imagining him putting a hit out on their father.

"Finn knows the truth and now you do. No one else can ever know, Niklaus. I didn't mean to tell you," he muttered and raked his hands through his hair.

Klaus wouldn't tell his other siblings the truth. They all loved Mikael even if they didn't like how he treated Klaus. The truth would only further complicate their complicated family. He exhaled slowly. "I am jealous. I dreamed of killing Mikael for years but I could never bring myself to do it. Thank you, Eli."

Elijah glared at his brother because he assumed the gratitude was insincere. However, he saw the sincerity when he looked into his brother's eyes. In a stern voice, he said, "It was the right thing to do."

"Does Finn share your belief?" he asked cautiously.

The older man chuckled. "Yes, Finn supported my decision fully. But you can ask him yourself. He should be arriving soon enough. I asked him to join us. We're going to need to get our stories straight in order to find the right person to take the fall for you."

Klaus shifted in his chair and looked very uncomfortable. He had not seen his brother face-to-face since learning the truth. "Does he want to see me?"

Elijah was surprised to see Niklaus look so ill at ease. He said, "He's disappointed in your actions, just as I am, Niklaus. He sent you to prison because he couldn't think of another way to protect Bonnie without jeopardizing your live. But Finn still loves you."

"He barely knows me," Klaus muttered softly.

Finn joined the priesthood when Klaus was six-years old. He barely remembered his brother even living at home with them. Truthfully, Freya and Elijah were the only ones to have a deep connection to Finn.

Elijah didn't know what to make of his brother's reaction. He didn't know how to reassure him. "That isn't exactly true but perhaps you could spend more time with him. He would certainly welcome your company at the rectory. I have been known to arrive unannounced to bother him."

He snorted derisively. "What do you talk about? God?"

"Occasionally, but we usually talk about family, sports, and business issues."

Klaus was intrigued by the last part. "Really?"

Elijah laughed heartily. "Our brother is still a Mikaelson. His piety only goes so far."

"While we are being truthful about things...you should know that Andrew has been spending time with one of Bonnie's cousins," he said.

Elijah was discomfited by this news. "I hope he isn't thinking about working for her. I know he isn't happy that I haven't been allowing him to do much for me."

"No, it's nothing like that. Besides, he is getting enough work with me. His involvement with Cristian Benedetto is a romantic type thing. Frankly, it seems like a rebound arrangement. I am keeping an eye on the situation."

He nodded wearily. "I should take Andrew out to dinner soon. I've wanted to talk to him but I haven't had much time. Has anyone given him any trouble?"

Klaus frowned and then chuckled darkly. "It is well known that Andrew is my favorite nephew."

Elijah made a disapproving noise since Klaus had many nephews.

His brother waved off his concern. "It is the truth and everyone knows it. Andrew is my favorite nephew and I would not be pleased if anyone gave him a hard time about his sexual orientation. If anyone has an objection they have wisely kept quiet."

"You won't always be able to protect him…"

Klaus said, "I won't be able to protect him forever but I am teaching Andrew how to protect himself. I was not respected when I got my first start. People knew how Father treated me. There were those that pitied me and others that believed it was carte blanche to disrespect me. For the men that pitied me, I proved that I was deserving of respect. For the men that showed me disrespect, I proved that I was deserving of their fear."

Elijah wasn't sure that he liked that idea. Perhaps it was because he didn't truly want Andrew to follow in their bloody footsteps. The boy had a kind heart. Finally, he said, "I am glad that Andrew has you to show him the ropes. Your indiscretions aside, I never worried about your capabilities. You showed promise from the moment I put a gun in your hands."

Klaus chuckled softly. "The first time I went out on a collection run, you had to be a little scared that I would off someone."

He shook his head with a wry smile. "It did cross my mind. It's why I sent you to a habitual offender. I figured if you killed him it would not ruffle too many feathers. Instead, you came back with what he owed and he never missed another payment. You never told me what you did to get him the pay the debt."

"Trust me, Brother, you don't want to know..."

There was a knock on the door.

Klaus called out, "Come in…"

Marcel opened the door and said, "Father Finn is here…"

Finn walked into the office. He was dressed down in a pair of jeans and a crimson sweater. "Good evening."

Marcel quickly backed out the office. He didn't know why the three eldest Mikaelson men were meeting but he knew it couldn't be good.

Klaus walked around the desk to greet his eldest brother. He asked, "What would your parishioners think of you in my house of ill-repute, Father?"

Finn chuckled and said, "First, a house of ill-repute would be a brothel. Second, a good shepherd tends his flock wherever he might find them."

Niklaus smiled wryly and extended his hand.

Finn looked at his brother's hand before pulling him into a hug.

He was caught off guard by the hug and his brother's strength. However, he found himself returning the hug. "Thank you."

Finn pulled back and looked at him curiously. "For what?"

"Thank you for protecting Bonnie from me," he replied in a strained voice.

Finn sighed while pulling his brother into another hug. He pressed a kiss to the crown of his head as a feeling of relief washed over him. For weeks, he feared his brother's justified anger. Finn had betrayed him but he did not make his decision lightly. Sending Klaus to prison had kept him up so many nights.

Elijah watched the exchange quietly. He knew in his heart that killing Niklaus would break him. They would have to make this patsy situation work because the alternative was war. Perhaps it was time to make use of the lovely Bonnie Bennett-Salvatore. If she wanted an alliance with his family, then she would have to work for it. Who was more capable of steering Damon onto the wrong path than his own wife?


	72. The Drums of War

Bonnie felt as if her world had been turned upside down. She and Tyler were defiant in the face of opposition. Unfortunately, it was a great deal of opposition and it came from all sides. Richard and Carol were adamant that Tyler needed to do the honorable thing by marrying Elena. They would not tolerate their grandchild being born a bastard. Grayson and Miranda Gilbert were of a similar opinion even if their objections were less forceful. The Gilberts had to walk a fine line since their position with Bonnie was precarious. Grayson knew his brother had been killed for being a traitor to the Benedetto organization.

Her own family had some fairly stringent objections, too. Big John had not learned about Elena's pregnancy until he returned to Milazzo. However, he picked up the phone and called his niece to offer his opinion. John believed that Bonnie deserved a man that she wouldn't have to share in any capacity with another woman. He wanted to unite their two families but not at the cost of her well-being. Her uncle was well-informed about Damon's extracurricular activities and he knew the toll they took on her mental and physical health. John cautioned her against repeating unhealthy cycles with Tyler.

He also believed that it was unwise to displease the Loiacono and the Gilbert families on such an important matter. Big John reminded her that the trait of a good boss was doing the right thing for the people that showed loyalty to the organization. The Loiaconos had stuck with the Benedetto family for decades. They worked as double agents with nary a complaint. Grayson remained loyal even after Bonnie had his brother whacked. It could be disastrous to repay their loyalty by making their grandchild a bastard. Bonnie quickly learned that Big John's opinion was shared by most of her close relatives.

Abby was the only person that encouraged Bonnie to do what made her happy. She loved her mother for offering the support she desperately needed, but it just proved the merit of Big John's argument. Abby's selfishness had resulted in her abandoning Bonnie when she was little more than a toddler. Her mother's actions were the sole reason that she had been married off to Damon when she was 17-years-old. After divorcing Rudy, Abby should have married Alaric. Their marriage would have united the Salvatore and Benedetto families together forever. Instead, her mother had selfishly chosen to do what made her happy. The girl no longer blamed Abby for her actions, but she couldn't behave the same way. Bonnie was the boss of the family and that meant doing what was right even when it was inconvenient.

She had tried talking about the situation with Tyler but he blew up at her and stormed out. Bonnie could only remember seeing him this enraged a handful of times. Tyler had immediately gone to his parents and the Gilberts and told them in no uncertain terms to mind their business. He also reminded everyone that even if Bonnie broke up with him, it didn't mean that he would rush to the altar with Elena. He wasn't in love with her anymore. Tyler refused to suffer a loveless marriage for the sake of others. Plenty of babies were born to unwed parents. He even went to talk to Father Finn for some religious guidance.

Needless to say, everyone was walking on eggshells around the young couple. Bonnie had listened to their objections and didn't want to hear anything more. Tyler was prepared to curse out anyone that even thought about telling them to break up. Bonnie knew that they couldn't go on like this but she didn't have the heart to end the relationship. She had sacrificed and endured so much for the betterment of her family. Bonnie had a hard time summoning the courage to let Tyler go. What good was being powerful if she had to live a life of misery? Was she supposed to spend the rest of her life alone? Bonnie put on a brave face during business hours but at night she crawled into her mother's bed and wept until she ran out of tears.

The current state of Tyler and Bonnie's relationship made dealing with Damon more difficult. The news had traveled quickly between their intertwined families. Damon had offered to be a kind ear but she knew he was delighted by the situation. He had warned her repeatedly that the relationship was temporary. His disingenuous concern just made Bonnie want to slap him. However, she had decided weeks ago that violence wasn't the answer. For whatever emotional trauma Damon had heaped on her during their marriage, he had never physically harmed her. Bonnie would always be grateful for the seemingly simple act of restraint. They had both grown up in homes where violence and abuse seemed as normal as breathing.

Damon had also taken advantage of the emotional upheaval. He proposed that Zacharias and Ayana become Co-CEOs for Velocita. It wasn't what Bonnie wanted but she didn't have the energy to fight him. She discussed his proposal with Richard and Ayana. Both agreed that it was better to compromise than to drag the company through a bitter power struggle. Bonnie saw the wisdom in their counsel and accepted Damon's offer with one caveat. She still wanted to restructure the top of the company. The Salvatores were not innovators and she wouldn't allow the company to remain stagnant. Damon agreed to the caveat and even encouraged Bonnie to continue courting investors from the tech world. He readily admitted to focusing on the status quo rather than striving to be an industry leader. A board meeting was scheduled in two weeks. Damon would formally submit his resignation and name his successors.

Bonnie was hoping for a few days of peace to regroup and reclaim her sanity. The stress wasn't doing any favors for her blood pressure and Cole was concerned. Abby had scheduled a much needed spa appointment for Wednesday morning. However, Tuesday night she received a call from Hayley Mikaelson. She was inviting Bonnie out to lunch. The two women had become fast friends after she married Damon. Hayley had been one of the few women that could somewhat understand Bonnie's unfortunate lot in life. Unfortunately, this didn't appear to be a friendly rendezvous. Moreover, Hayley was reluctant to offer a satisfying explanation.

The young woman realized that her friend's invitation was some sort of set up. However, she didn't believe that the Mikaelsons would try to harm her. She knew that their alliance with the Salvatore family remained strong. Their marital troubles aside, Damon would slaughter all of Elijah's siblings if they killed her. Nevertheless, Bonnie decided to take Cristian, Lucy, and Gemma with her. She trusted her cousins to watch her back in any situation. They would also be useful in providing counsel if Elijah was offering some sort of deal. Afterall, she was already doing business with his younger brother. It was an arrangement that would start paying dividends almost immediately. The drug trade was a nasty business but it was profitable.

Bonnie arrived at the restaurant at exactly 2 o'clock. She had convinced Hayley to change the meeting time to accommodate her spa appointment. Bonnie was pregnant and could not afford to neglect her mental or physical well-being. Keeping her appointment turned out to be wise. She felt relaxed and refreshed after a morning of pampering and luxury. More importantly, she no longer felt as if she was balancing on a knife's edge. Bonnie would be clear-headed and somewhat patient while dealing with Elijah. Generally, she managed to keep her temper in check. However, everyone had limits and Elena's pregnancy had pushed Bonnie well over hers.

Bonnie prepared to speak to the hostess when Hayley walked over.

Hayley smiled and said, "Hi."

"Hi," she replied coolly.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me today, Bonnie. I know you have a lot going on."

Bonnie shook her head. "Anything for a friend like you, Hayley. I'm so grateful that you're allowing me to hold my event at your gallery on such short notice."

Hayley swallowed thickly and nodded. "It was no trouble. Frankly, having tipsy investors in my gallery can only be a good thing. I reserved the private dining room for us. Just follow me."

"I hope that you don't mind that I brought a few guests with me. After the unfortunate situation with my younger brother, security has become more of an issue for my family," the young woman explained.

She glanced at the three individuals behind her. Hayley felt guilty about using their friendship to lure Bonnie to the restaurant under false pretenses. It had taken two days for Elijah to finally wear her down. She only relented when he explained that this could be a matter of life and death for many people. She was glad that Bonnie had been able to read between the lines and had come prepared. Hayley didn't know what was happening because Elijah refused to involve her in his criminal activities. However, she did know that for days he had trouble sleeping.

"It is no trouble at all." She continued, "Security has become and issue for my family, too."

Bonnie nodded and followed Hayley through the restaurant. She tsked softly, "Such uncertain times we are living in. Sometimes it feels as if the world has gone mad."

Hayley opened a set of frosted glass doors that led into the private dining room. However, it more closely resembled a lounge. It had a bar and several intimate seating areas.

Her green eyes narrowed when she realized that Niklaus and Father Finn were there, too. Bonnie knew that this meeting wasn't about business-not really.

Elijah stood up and walked over to his wife and Bonnie. He said, "I am sorry for the subterfuge, dear. I didn't know another way to arrangement a meeting without attracting the wrong eyes. Your husband is still very interested in your whereabouts."

"I am aware," she replied smoothly. However, her eyes slid to Niklaus.

He looked pointedly at Bonnie's guests.

She took the hint and said, "Allow me to introduce my cousins: Cristian Benedetto, Gemma Benedetto, and Lucy Bennett."

Elijah knew that these weren't merely Bonnie's cousins. They were heavy hitters in her organization. He had heard many stories about Lucy alone. He wondered how many weapons the woman had hidden on her right now. Bonnie had obviously seen through Hayley's attempt to mislead her.

He smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. These are my brothers, Niklaus and Finn."

Lucy offered a crooked grin. "We're acquainted with both. I quite enjoyed Mass on Sunday, Father Finn."

The older man inclined his head in thanks. "Will I see you at Mass tonight?"

"No, I don't think that you will," she returned.

Elijah looked to Bonnie. "I was hoping that we might discuss something delicate. I do not know if the topic is common knowledge."

Niklaus looked vaguely ill.

Bonnie smiled at her cousins. "There's a bar. Go make me jealous."

Lucy squeezed Bonnie's hand and then walked across the room.

Hayley said, "I think I will join you all."

Elijah walked towards the opposite end of the room with Klaus and Finn on his heels.

Klaus pulled out a chair for Bonnie before sitting down beside her.

Bonnie flashed an appreciative smile and settled down. "What can I do for you, Elijah?"

Elijah straightened the cuffs of his crisp shirt. "Recently, an unfortunate situation has come to my attention. Alaric contacted me over the weekend looking for a name. Father Kieran pointed your husband in Finn's direction."

Bonnie's face remained neutral but her blood ran cold. During the counseling session, she told Damon to leave the matter of her rape alone. She wasn't interested in getting retribution with his assistance. She should have known that Damon wouldn't let sleeping dogs lie. He still didn't respect her position as boss of her family. Suddenly, her vow to remain nonviolent with her husband seemed more unobtainable.

She replied, "Judging by your guests...you already know the name that my husband is seeking. Why am I here, Elijah?"

Elijah tried to pick up anything from the girl's stoic expression but found nothing. "Well, it occurred to me that you might have sent your husband on this mission to destabilize the alliance."

Niklaus shifted in the seat beside her. He said, "I told you that wasn't the case, brother."

The older man silenced his brother with a look. Elijah knew that Niklaus was incapable of being objective about Bonnie. He had to evaluate the young woman without his brother's involvement. Finn was overly fond of her, too.

Bonnie laughed softly. "If I wanted Nik dead, I could have blown his brains out weeks ago. Better yet, I could have had him killed in some entertainly gruesome way while he was in prison. Instead, I arranged a very lucrative drug deal by calling in a favor with my estranged father. Surely, you don't believe that I would go to so much trouble just to have Damon kill him now."

Klaus ignored Bonnie's laugh and focused on her eyes. Those green gems had always held the truth for him. He didn't like what he found there now. Elijah was skating on thin ice and didn't know it. Klaus had asked to take the lead in this meeting but his brother rejected that idea firmly.

"Did you decide to arrange this deal before or after you did that to his hand?" Elijah asked bitterly.

He did not approve of Bonnie's methods. His brother did something unforgivable but he would never simply accept someone torturing him. It was the reason Elijah would never turn Niklaus over to Damon. He knew the horrors the younger man could visit on his enemies. Alaric had spoken in broad strokes of Giuseppe's painful final days.

She glanced at Niklaus' hand with a fond smile. Bonnie found that she still felt a wave of pleasure at his pain. Then she turned to look at him. "I started working on this deal before I had Nik's tendon severed. In the beginning, I thought it might be best to kill him. Your brother behaved very poorly after your son's christening. However, I can accept that he was under the influence that night and not in complete control of himself."

Niklaus looked down at the table feeling utterly ashamed. The night of the christening joined a long list of things he wished to take back. He didn't want to think about how far things might have gone if Bonnie hadn't been armed with a switchblade. Perhaps the only silver lining had been his decision to stop using cocaine.

Elijah's eyes snapped to his younger brother. His stomach plummeted as Niklaus refused to meet his gaze. They would definitely discuss this later. Elijah had been under the impression that Klaus' indiscretions were in the past. He swallowed thickly and looked back at her. "I'm sorry for…"

She waved off his concern. Bonnie didn't particularly care if it was genuine or feigned at this point. She said, "I've made my peace with Nik. He apologized and then I made him bleed. My grandmother always told me that blood was the only acceptable recompense and she was right. Seeing Nik bleed for me lightened the burden he placed on me when I was still a young girl. To me...the debt is repaid and I have moved onto bigger and better things. Niklaus is worth more to me alive than he is dead. My family has never sold drugs and we never will. It's a nasty business that my great-great-grandmother abhorred. I have no doubt that she would be waiting for me in the afterlife if I sullied the business that she built. However, there are other ways for me to benefit from the drug trade without touching the stuff. I thought Nik would be the perfect business partner."

The older man still couldn't get a read on Bonnie and it left him unsettled. He countered, "Let's be honest...this deal with Niklaus isn't just about profit. You want to establish a connection with our organization independent of the Salvatore family."

"Obviously," she replied with a deadpan expression.

He didn't appreciate Bonnie's tone but he pressed forward. Elijah said, "While the deal is lucrative, Niklaus' position affords him limited power. Any binding alliance would have to be formed with me. At the moment, I am not certain that I am willing to involve myself in your marital discord."

Bonnie shrugged and said, "I also knew that might be a possibility. But it was an opportunity that I couldn't afford to pass up."

"My brother would offer you his loyalty because of his guilt. I would require more of you," he said with a voice like steel.

She laughed airily and said, "Your brother raped me repeatedly. And you believe that you have any right to require, demand, or ask anything of me. I have to say...that takes balls. But I assure you the only person at this table that has any leverage is me."

Elijah tensed when Bonnie began laughing. Her eyes seemed to darken as she spoke. "Excuse me…"

She snapped, "I was not done speaking! You would do well to listen carefully, Mr. Mikaelson. I like Niklaus. I would even admit to caring for him. Our friendship is complicated as many things in life tend to be. I value him more than perhaps he even knows. However, I will not be threatened or coerced into doing anything...and certainly not by the likes of you. You hold exactly zero cards and yet you come in here acting as if you have the high hand. If I were so inclined, I could call Damon right now and tell him the truth."

"That would mean war. I would not hand my brother over to be slaughtered by the Salvatores. Would you throw us all into chaos over some childish tantrum?" he replied angrily.

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "What do I care of war between your families? I can pack up those dear to me and retreat to Milazzo while you and Damon fight to the death. You're very evenly matched, it would be a complete blood bath. Then when it's over, I could swoop in and finish you off or I could reconcile with my beloved husband. An even better option, would be to bring the full weight of my family's organization on your heads when you are both mired in the blood and guts of your own men. I could wipe you both off the board and take your place. My uncle, John, would be thrilled by the notion. He despises the Salvatores and he would bay for Nik's blood if he knew the truth of what he did to me."

Elijah's blood ran cold as he listened to the girl talk about the utter destruction of his organization as if it were mere child's play. The girl that was young enough to be his own child had walked him into a corner with death as the only possible exit. Damon would not listen to reason if he learned that Niklaus was Bonnie's rapist. He would want blood and would cut down anyone in his way.

Niklaus shook his head. His brother had cocked up this entire situation. He looked at Bonnie and said, "Elijah does not understand you but I do. I am not demanding anything of you, but we are in a bit of a bind, love. Damon has focused on this and he will not relent. Even without the truth surfacing, the alliance will suffer if Finn does not offer a name. Elijah would like to frame someone for the crime...to give Damon closure on the matter. We could use your help doing that."

Bonnie smiled at Klaus and gently squeezed his uninjured hand. Then she looked at Elijah. "Was that so hard? All you had to do was ask nicely. Of course, I'll help direct Damon onto the wrong path. I don't want him poking his nose into this anymore than the three of you do. Do you have any fall guys in mind because I have a few?"

Elijah blinked a few times as if the situation would magically change. Bonnie had gone from planning his entire family's demise to speaking cheerfully in a matter of seconds. He cleared his throat and said, "Ah, yes. There are a few men that are quietly known to have certain...proclivities. Their deaths would be no great loss to the world. However, Niklaus does not remember specific dates. Therefore, we can't verify possible alibis. We can't afford to have the story fall apart under scrutiny."

She nodded. "Leave the names with me and I will figure out which man fits the bill. In the meantime, I will distract Damon. My righteous anger at him meddling in my affairs should give you a few days' cover. When the time is right, I'll give Damon the name of our fall-guy. I wouldn't ask Father Finn to commit any sins on my behalf."

The priest inclined his head in thanks. However, he had been willing to make the sacrifice for his family. Finn was comfortable with the inevitability of his damnation. He could never receive absolution for the atrocities he committed before joining the priesthood.

Elijah handed Bonnie a scrap of paper with four names written on it. "These men are our best prospects. And I apologize for my demeanor. I am just concerned for my brother's safety."

She took the paper and glanced at the names. She recognized all the men as working for the Salvatore organization. She glanced at Elijah and said, "I understand the desire to protect your siblings from harm. I also understand why you would doubt my intentions with Niklaus. I hope that after this little matter is put to bed...you will realize that I am only looking for friendship."

All three men stood up when Bonnie did.

Niklaus asked, "Could I speak to you for a moment?"

She nodded and walked away from the table to achieve a level of privacy. "Yes?"

"I am sorry that you're being dragged into this...that you are having to clean up my mess. We just couldn't think of another way," he confessed.

Bonnie smiled wryly. "It's fine. It is my fault for opening up to my husband. I should have known that he wouldn't respect my wishes. I won't make the mistake of trusting Damon again. We should get lunch sometime soon...without the extra company."

"I'd like that," he replied with shock in his voice.

She said, "I said that we would be friends, Nik. I meant that. Call me when you have an afternoon free..."

"I will. It was good seeing you, love," he said.

Bonnie smiled at him and then headed to the glass doors.

Her cousins followed her without question. They weren't able to hear any of the conversation because of the distance. However, Bonnie's body language and facial expressions had been telling.

Lucy was the only one with some inkling of what the conversation was about. Cristian and Gemma were in the dark about Klaus' crimes against their cousin. She knew that Bonnie planned to use the monster to her advantage. However, Lucy wanted nothing more than to castrate the sick son of a bitch.

Once they were in the car, they all looked at Bonnie expectantly.

She said, "I need to go to Velocita. Apparently, there has been a misunderstanding on a personal level. I'll take care of it."

Gemma glanced at her cousin because she knew better. Something was very wrong and Bonnie's reluctance to share was disconcerting.

Cristian felt just as uneasy as he started the car. He never had a problem obeying his younger cousin as the boss of the family. Yet in this moment, he wanted to protest. They couldn't protect her without understanding the threat.

Lucy was in the backseat with Bonnie. She reached over and took the younger girl's hand. She whispered, "Do you want me to call, Tyler?"

She tensed for a moment and shook her head. While seeing Tyler would be comforting, he was too volatile at the moment. She said, "No, I'll talk to him later. He has enough on his plate. But I want you to come into the office with me."

The older woman gave a curt nod.

Cristian turned on the radio to disrupt the charged silence.

Bonnie was grateful for the distraction. She had to be calm when confronting Damon. She was only in this mess because she lost control in his office previously. A few sentences uttered in the heat of the moment had forced them down this perilous path. She couldn't make the same mistake twice. She hoped that Lucy's presence would keep her from losing it with Damon. Her cousin was known for flying off the handle but she could be a calming force when necessary.

Lucy looked up when Bonnie handed her a piece of paper. She glanced at the names and then frowned.

"Run down everything about them. I need to know what they were doing five years ago," she muttered.

Everything clicked into place and Lucy's lips thinned ominously. "I'll take care of it, cugine."

She slowly released a breath and then sought the Saint Christopher's medal around her neck.

It didn't take long for Cristian to pull into Velocita's parking structure. He went up to the executive level and found a parking space. He looked over the seat. "Do you want us to come in with you?"

Bonnie said, "Just Lucy...I don't want Damon to feel like we're ganging up on him. We'll be back soon."

Cristian didn't look pleased with that at all. He nodded and said, "We'll be out here if you need us."

She smiled at him. "You don't need to worry about me, Cris. It's just a clubby chat between estranged spouses."

Gemma rolled her eyes and said, "Let's just hope he doesn't go off the deep end like his uncle did. Stronzo..."

"Damon wouldn't dare," she replied with certainty.

Lucy huffed, "I'll gut him like a fucking fish if he tried."

Bonnie climbed out the car with a worried expression. She knew that Lucy's declaration was no idle threat. Nevertheless, Bonnie didn't think it would come to that. Damon never laid a hand on her and she doubted that he would start now.

The two cousins took the elevator up to the executive floor. Then they made a beeline for Damon's office.

Bonnie hoped that he wasn't busy but she was willing to wait. This wasn't something that could be left for another time. Bonnie meant what she said about letting the Salvatores and Mikaelsons slaughter each other. However, that was only a last resort. Truthfully, a mob war would prove costly even if Bonnie's organization wasn't involved. Moreover, it would draw the attention of local and federal authorities. Once the war ended, doing business would be even more hazardous.

Damon's secretary, Dianne, smiled when she saw Bonnie. However, the smile faltered when she saw the thunderous look on the young woman's face. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Salvatore. I'll let Mr. Salvatore know that you are here."

"Thank you, Dianne," Bonnie replied.

Lucy whispered, "You know we are going to have to tell Cris and Gemma something. They work for you while on this side of the Atlantic but ultimately, they work for Uncle Johnny. If they are truly concerned...they'll tell him that something is wrong."

She nodded in agreement. "I'll tell them a version of the truth."

The older woman didn't look appeased but nodded. There was risk involved with having partial information floating in the world.

Dianne hung up the phone and stood up. "Mr. Salvatore can see you now."

Bonnie and Lucy walked into the office once Dianne opened the door for them.

Zacharias stood and prepared to leave the office.

The girl's eyes hardened and said, "No, you should stay."

He frowned and slowly retook his seat.

Damon looked uncertain. He couldn't think of anything he'd done to earn his wife's anger. "Bunny…"

Bonnie remained quiet until she heard the door close. She said, "I am going to speak calmly because what I really want to do is gouge out your fucking eyes."

Damon's eyes widened as he stepped around the desk cautiously. Immediately, he feared that Bonnie learned about his scheme with Elena. "What did I do?"

Lucy hung back but she looked murderous as well.

"Truthfully, I am responsible for at least part of this for ever thinking that I could trust you. I told you a terrible secret that haunts me to this day. Something that still causes me a great deal of shame whenever I think about it. I trusted you with this secret because I was trying to ease your conscience. I didn't want you walking around believing that you had violated me in such a heinous way."

Damon had a brief moment of relief before he realized that he was by no means off the hook. "You have to understand…"

She interrupted him, "I don't have to understand shit, you faithless son of a bitch! I told you about the worst thing that ever happened to me. I told you in a counseling session and then I asked you to leave it alone. How many people have you told? Alaric knows the truth. I can assume that Zacharias and Stefan know what happened, too. You told Father Kieran about me. You told Elijah fucking Mikaelson! Who else, Damon? How many other people have you shared my shame with?"

Zacharias was immediately concerned about Bonnie's information source. They had kept their inquiries quiet.

Damon looked pained as Bonnie railed at him. He hadn't considered how she would feel about others knowing the truth. He had naively believed that she would never know. He approached Bonnie with his hands up in surrender. "I can see now that I didn't handle this right. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to hurt you or humiliate you, Bonnie. I was just grasping at straws trying to find out who did this to you."

"That is none of your business! I told you as much during the counseling session. The things that happened to me are personal. I do not want or need your help with getting justice or revenge. It is better to let sleeping dogs lie."

Damon glared. "How can you say that? This man raped you and he just gets to live his fucking life!"

"I know what he did to me, Damon! I was there. I suffered through it. I still have nightmares about it. It completely fucked up the way I look at sex. But I have chosen the way I wanted to handle it. You have no right to interfere where you aren't wanted!"

Zach understood Bonnie's position but it was a slight that Damon could not allow as boss.

"That's the thing that I just don't fucking understand. Do you really hate me so much that you won't let me help you? Or are you protecting his son of a bitch?" he growled at her.

Zacharias stood up and said, "Maybe we should all take a breath. Damon...this is leading us nowhere."

Damon batted Zach's hands away. He said, "I asked you a fucking question. Are you protecting the son of a bitch that raped you? You got feelings for him or something? Maybe…"

Bonnie looked as if she wanted to murder him. Tears filled her green eyes. "Maybe what? Say it, Damon. Fucking say it and I swear to God I won't be responsible for what I do next."

Lucy quickly moved between them and pulled Bonnie away from her husband. She knew that her cousin meant her threat whole-heartedly.

Zacharias pushed Damon around his desk and growled, "Shut your fucking mouth. What you almost said can't be taken back."

Bonnie said, "No, don't stop him. Let Damon show his fucking stupidity. Prove to me how little you respect me. Come on! Don't be a pussy now, Damon. Say what's on your mind. Go on, ask if I wanted it!"

The room went eerily silent for several minutes.

Damon tried to calm down because he had gone too far. He said, "I feel helpless. There is some sick fuck out there that hurt you. And I'm just supposed to go on with my life. He's gotta be someone I know! Am I working with someone that raped my wife? It's driving me fucking crazy, Bonnie."

"Do you hear yourself? You've taken my trauma and somehow made it about you! What the fuck is wrong with you? Where is your sense of empathy or compassion? You want to know who is sick? You are."

He asked, "Why won't you give me a name?"

Bonnie shook her head, "Because I don't want to dredge up the past. It's like reliving the trauma and I can't keep doing that. Killing him won't change what happened to me, Damon."

He slowly approached Bonnie and sighed softly. "This isn't just about revenge. It worries me that there is someone out in the world that hurt you so bad. He's still out there...free to do it again."

She studied Damon's face looking for some hint of deception. She said, "He wouldn't hurt me again, Damon. It's been years."

"That's the part that confuses me. Why would be stop abusing you so suddenly?" he asked with concern.

Bonnie said, "He's in prison on an unrelated charge. He can't hurt me anymore, Damon. It's over."

Damon seemed to relax just a little. "He's been in prison this entire time?"

She nodded slowly.

Lucy hoped that Bonnie hadn't painted them into a corner with her lie. However, she understood the desperate need to divert Damon's attention. They would have to choose a patsy quickly and have him whacked in prison. She would have to pull Brady into this. He wouldn't question why they needed to whack some bastard in prison with a known affinity for little girls. He would think it was a freaking public service.

"How much longer does he have on his sentence?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Damon. I don't exactly keep tabs on the man. Every once in a while I make sure that he still behind bars where he can't hurt anyone else. I won't let him hurt another little girl the way he hurt me."

It wasn't what he wanted but Damon was willing to accept it for now. He didn't want to upset Bonnie more than he already had. "I am sorry for telling other people...I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to protect you and I didn't know how else to do it."

"I am capable of taking care of myself, Damon," she replied.

Damon took her face into his hands and said, "I know but it doesn't stop me from worrying. I love you and I don't know how to fix us. But if I can keep you safe...then maybe that is enough. If I can keep you safe and happy then maybe being apart from you won't hurt as much."

"I'm not trying to hurt you," she whispered in reply.

"I know that...I do. But it doesn't mean being apart from you doesn't tear me up inside. I know that's my problem and not yours…"

Bonnie said, "We're still family, Damon. Your problems are mine and vice versa. I wish that you would have just come to me first. Talk to me like your equal instead of trying to override my desires."

He nodded. "Let me make it up to you."

She snorted softly. "How do you plan to do that?"

"Give me a couple days to figure something out," he replied hopefully.

"Getting slow in your old age?" she asked wryly.

Damon huffed out a laugh. "No, I just have a better understanding of what things are worth now."

Bonnie eyed him warily.

"Do you still feel like gouging out my eyes?" he asked.

"Yes, but I won't seeing as they are your most attractive feature."

He grinned, "You like my eyes."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "You know that you are pretty, Damon. Stop fishing for compliments."

Damon balked at being called 'pretty'. "I think you meant ruggedly handsome."

She smirked. "Stefan inherited Giuseppe's handsome looks. I am afraid you inherited your mother's more delicate features."

Lucy and Zacharias both chuckled in amusement.

She added, "When I call you a son of a bitch...I mean it."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "I suppose that I can stomach being a pretty son of a bitch."

Bonnie huffed out a laugh.

"Do you want to hit me as payback? I'll let you," he muttered apologetically.

She shook her head. "We're adults. We are capable of using words to settle our disputes."

"Yeah...we are," he acknowledged.


	73. The Poison In My Blood

The confrontation with Bonnie left Damon feeling angry, guilty, and oddly impotent. He was a man and it was his job to protect the people in his life. However, his wife, a girl he'd known since her infancy, refused his protection at every turn. It was difficult to avoid taking Bonnie's rejection personally. Damon had to accept that she didn't trust him. He knew the distrust in their relationship was largely his fault. Damon couldn't expect Bonnie to lean on him for support after years of hurting her. It was moments like these when Damon wished he could take it all back. His frequent tumbles beneath the sheets with beautiful women wasn't worth what it cost him.

Despite his foul mood, Damon went home after work. He made sure to put on a good face for Victor. His baby brother was in a particularly clingy mood that evening. He latched onto Damon almost as soon as he walked into the door. The nanny explained that Victor had been moody all day. Spending time with Victor helped soothe some of the earlier sting. Damon was reminded that he had not failed everyone in his life. Moreover, he was making strides to be a better man for the people that truly mattered. He stayed at the Salvatore Manor until Victor fell asleep. Then he set off to his family's boxing gym to blow off some steam. He wasn't surprised when Stefan and their uncles decided to tag along.

They had the gym to themselves because it had already closed for the evening. The privacy was ideal because they needed to discuss business, too. Their top concern was fulfilling the bargain Damon had struck with Bonnie after Giuseppe's funeral. He had offered to get her military grade explosives for a cut of the profits from the deal Lucy brokered in Australia. Getting the product had been a simple exercise. However, Bonnie had demanded a face-to-face meeting with the supplier. Ric had finally convinced the cagey bastard to agree to a meeting at the end of the month. Damon was pleased by his uncle's hard work. Strengthening the business relationship between their organizations could only be a positive. Business and financial entanglements made it harder to sever ties cleanly.

Once they finished discussing business, Stefan and Alaric went into the ring first. Their uncle had more skill and that showed in the first few sparring rounds. Alaric was a 40-year-old alcoholic but he had been boxing his entire life. However, Stefan's youth, strength, and stamina ultimately proved to be the deciding factor. He wisely allowed the older man to wear himself out. Then Stefan pounced on his exhaustion and took pleasure in knocking him onto the canvas a dozen times. It was safe to say uncle and nephew were still at odds over Lilly. Neither man would admit as much but the hostility was readily apparent. Fortunately, the mostly-friendly spar ended without any injuries or barbed words. Stefan decided to go home early rather than stay to watch Zach and Damon spar.

Zacharias and Damon were more evenly matched opponents. The men were closer in age and were both in relatively good health. They had been sparring for over an hour with no obvious stopping point in sight. However, Damon noticed that Zach seemed annoyed. He could see that something was building but decided to wait for his uncle to say something.

He got his answer soon enough. Damon stumbled against the ropes after a particularly violent uppercut from his uncle. He briefly saw double and had to take a moment to regain focus. He spit out his mouthguard and asked, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I'm trying to beat some sense into the empty fucking head of yours!" Zacharias snapped angrily.

Alaric snorted from his chair positioned outside the boxing ring. He was bone tired after going six rounds with Stefan. The boy had put Ric on his ass a dozen times. He couldn't tell if Stefan had improved markedly or if own prowess had declined precipitously. No matter the reason, he was exhausted now and longed for his bed. However, he enjoyed seeing his brother and nephew sparring together. He snorted, "Good luck with that. Salvatores are thick headed and are slow to learn."

Damon glared at Ric and said, "Fuck you, too. I know you both think that I am being unreasonable."

Zacharias leaned against the ropes and caught his breath. His shorts and t-shirt were soaked with sweat. He couldn't remember how long he and Damon had been in the ring. He took off his gloves and said, "You are being unreasonable. Bonnie shared something deeply personal with you. Your response has been to disregard her wishes on the matter. You also saw fit to share information told to you in confidence with other people. Then when she confronts you about being a deceitful asshole, you nearly accused her of wanting to be raped. I had my reservations about pursuing this matter from the outset. But you are the boss and I'm obliged to do your bidding. And I figured taking a rapist off the street wouldn't be a bad thing either. But you are only making things worse."

Damon huffed and took off his own gloves. "I will admit that I crossed a line by involving other people. But I was at a loss on how to find this son of a bitch. No matter what anyone says, I can't imagine allowing him to keep breathing."

Ric offered, "He's in prison now. Let him rot in there."

Damon chuckled wryly and shook his head. "He's not in prison."

Both older men looked at Damon with a level of disbelief. Zacharias spoke first, "Bonnie said…"

"My sweet wife is a liar. We all know this to be true. She is also a very good liar. I was blind to her ways in the past but not anymore. The way she flew into my office in a rage, she wanted to divert my attention from the situation at hand. Instead of pursuing the identity of her rapist, I was thrust into a nasty argument with her. She plucked my strings and got me to play precisely the song she wanted to hear. Then she idled me back down with sweet words and mild flirtation. My wife, that beautiful girl, is conniving and manipulative. I love her all the more for it. Unfortunately, it means that I am no closer to the truth than I was before she stormed into my office."

Zach frowned as he recalled the argument he witnessed earlier. He shook his head. "All I saw was a young girl that was embarrassed and suffering. I hate that I played any part in her feeling that way. The pain I saw...that was genuine, Damon."

The younger man winced and conceded his uncle's point. "You're right. Bonnie was genuinely hurt by my actions and words. I believe her when she says that being raped still affects her to this day. However, I think two things can be true at the same time. She was hurt and angry, but she also wanted to lead me astray. A month ago, she might have gotten away with it. The more of herself that she reveals, the easier it is for me to see behind the mask she wears."

Ric nodded in agreement as he thought about his former girlfriend. In truth, Abby was the love of his life but she hid herself from him, too. He said, "I have had years of watching Abby work in the same way. She takes her pain and fashions it into a weapon against others. She learned that from Sheila. I would assume that Bonnie learned the same lesson at her grandmother's knee."

Damon frowned and said, "Turning your pain into a weapon against your enemies is certainly better than the way we cope with it in our family. But I don't want to be Bonnie's enemy. I love her and I want to take care of her."

"I doubt she has any interest in you taking care of her, Damon. Bonnie has gone to some pretty impressive lengths to excise you from her life," the older man replied.

He was quiet for a beat. "Do you think that Abby knows who raped Bonnie?"

Alaric said, "There is no way Bonnie told Abby about the attack when it originally happened. Abby would have killed the prick with her bare hands-slowly and painfully. She didn't always have a good relationship with Bonnie but she loved that girl fiercely. Anyway, you see how close they are now. I doubt this is something that Bonnie would keep from her mother."

Damon nodded. "Lucy certainly seemed to know exactly what was happening. She didn't seem surprised by anything Bonnie was saying in my office. Lucy is even more volatile than Abby is, she would have carved the fucker's heart out if 16-year-old Bonnie had told her the truth."

"Then I would assume that Bonnie has only recently shared this information with Abby and Lucy. Maybe in the last year?" he suggested.

Zach considered his brother's words. Out of the three men, Alaric knew the Bennett women best. He had shared Abby's bed and life off and on since they were teenagers. They had created three children that his brother loved dearly. However, the closeness of the relationship did not make her an open book to him. Abby had proven that she was a Benedetto first and foremost.

Zach said, "Neither of them will be willing to tell us anything. The Bennetts are a monolith when it comes to secrecy. They'll protect Bonnie's privacy with their last breath."

Damon shook his head and said, "You misunderstand my intentions, Zio. I am merely trying to establish a timeline. Bonnie told me that her priest is the only person she ever told about the abuse...at the time. Lucy obviously knows and we've established that their improved relationship suggests that Abby knows, too. When did Bonnie tell them the truth and why? She obviously took great pains to safeguard a secret she felt was shameful. Why change course by telling Lucy? Why was this pain she had buried so close to the surface that she accidentally revealed it to me?"

Zach grabbed a water bottle and took a drink. He frowned deeply. "You think that Bonnie was telling a half-truth this afternoon. Maybe her attacker has been in prison for years but now he's out. It would explain why she lost control of her emotions when you confessed to using cocaine again."

"Bonnie has been operating in the shadows for years with impeccable control. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of my infidelities and I know how much that hurt her. Bonnie never said a word until she was ready to use that ammo. The truth about what happened to her as teenager, I don't think it was ever meant to be ammo. That was a genuine spontaneous utterance. I think this perverted son of a bitch is walking the streets again. And it brings me back to the question I asked in my office. Why is Bonnie protecting him? You saw what she did to the sons of bitches that kidnapped Jamie. Bonnie is quite capable of killing the bastard with her own two hands. And any of the Lockwoods would kill him with no questions asked. They are loyal to her without a doubt. Yet she refuses to take action."

Zach shifted as an uncomfortable idea took root. He suggested, "Maybe it is someone that can't be killed easily."

Damon lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Ric frowned at his younger brother but he was thinking along the same lines. "Maybe this prick is someone that can't be whacked without fallout. It could be someone in a position of power in one of our organizations. It could also be someone that works for another organization. Your old man was working to consolidate his power in the southwest that summer. How many parties did we have at the manor where Gio invited the heavy hitters from other organizations?"

The younger man's jaw clenched as his eyes darkened ominously. "Bonnie said that he was a family friend, but maybe she didn't mean friend in the true sense. We were in front of Dr. Correa so there was only so much honesty that could be had during the session. Fuck..."

Zach added, "Bonnie is a smart girl and she's pragmatic. She only moves when success seems likely. Both of your organizations are going through major changes. Our enemies and some supposed allies might see that as a perfect time to strike against us. It might unwise for her to whack this person if he is truly in a position of power. Perhaps it would expose some vulnerability in one or both of our organizations."

Damon scrubbed at his face in frustration. He could feel stubble from his five o'clock shadow already. He asked, "Why wouldn't she just be honest with me?"

Ric gave his nephew a look but stayed silent. He would allow his younger brother to state the obvious.

Zach asked, "What reason have you given Bonnie to trust you? And she knows your temper better than most. If you knew the guy's identity, nothing would stop you from killing him. Consequences wouldn't matter to you. You would only want retribution. His blood would be the only thing that could satisfy you."

Damon sighed deeply and asked, "What the fuck am I supposed to do? Bonnie knows me too well. She knows I won't let this go. My guess is she whacks some poor bastard to take the fall. Meanwhile, her rapist is still walking the streets."

"You have to realize that Bonnie is capable of taking care of herself," Ric replied.

"I know that Bonnie can take care of herself but she shouldn't have to do that. Moreover, if this person is untouchable because of position, then he might feel bold enough to hurt her know from experience that she wouldn't come to me if someone hurt her. She didn't even come to me after Giuseppe attacked her. Bonnie went to...Tyler."

Ric inclined his head in agreement. "I'd wager that Tyler knows the truth. I don't see Bonnie keeping something like this from him. She certainly trusts him more than she trusts you."

Damon flipped off his uncle despite the accuracy of the statement.

Zach said, "I agree but Tyler would never betray Bonnie's trust."

"You're right. Tyler wouldn't betray Bonnie's trust by telling me anything. But you've seen what he's like with her-a loyal pitbull. As much as I hate the little bastard, he loves her fiercely. He's protective of her. If Tyler knows the truth then he wants to kill the son of a bitch as much as I do. It could be that we might find some common ground in this situation. I can offer him protection once the deed is done."

Zach looked skeptical. "You want to take the boy into your confidence while you are actively sabotaging his relationship with Bonnie. I can't tell if you're brilliant or an idiot."

"Well, we know for sure that he's an asshole," Ric added earnestly.

"I am not seeing any better ideas. I won't allow Bonnie's rapist to keep drawing breath. I don't have it in me. I killed my own father for much less. I don't care if it is someone in our organization or the boss of another. I won't be satisfied until the fucker is dead and buried," Damon said darkly.

Zach still didn't think that Tyler would be willing to betray Bonnie. However, he didn't have anything better to offer as an alternative. He said, "We need to sort truth from lies. Bonnie has probably told you just enough of the truth to remain credible without providing details that could out her attacker. I think you're right that this person recently resurfaced. We need to be looking at anyone that has been out of the country for an extended period and anyone that did time in prison. I'll start digging first thing in the morning."

Damon nodded and said, "Be discreet. I don't want to embarrass Bonnie more than I already have."

"I'll keep my inquiries appropriately vague, nipote," the older man replied.

"Thank you," he replied before climbing between the ropes. Damon made his way to the locker room for a hot shower.

Ric waited until he was sure Damon was out of earshot. "This is going to blow up in his fucking face. He's such a stubborn little son of a bitch."

Zacharias climbed out of the boxing ring and sat down beside his brother. "I get why Damon is adamant about seeing this situation sorted. I would do this and more if the shoe was on the other foot."

"The difference is that Meredith isn't the head of her own organization. We're already on thin ice with the Benedettos. Damon antagonizing Bonnie, even with good intentions, isn't going to make the situation better. He should just tell Big John and wash his hands of the whole fucking thing," Ric snapped.

He didn't particularly like Big John and the feeling was certainly mutual. The two men would never see eye-to-eye because he felt Alaric didn't properly value Abby. In hindsight, Ric could see the man's point. He should have divorced Jo years ago and married Abby. In anycase, he knew how much the man loved his family. He had witnessed John's devotion to Abby when she was on the outs with Sheila. He treated her more like a daughter than a niece. Ric also knew that devotion extended to Bonnie. While John obviously deferred to his niece's wishes on business matters, he would demand answers from her about this. He would never allow a trespass such as this to go unanswered. Moreover, his grandsons were still in the States helping Bonnie run her organization. It wouldn't take much effort to pull the necessary strings.

Zacharias shook his head. "If Damon goes over Bonnie's head, it will cause more problems than it is worth. Besides, our nephew wants to handle this personally. He's looking to redeem himself in Bonnie's eyes. I don't know if this will have the desired effect, but I'll help him."

Ric nodded with a frown.

"How are you doing? Earlier, it looked like you were working out some shit in the ring."

The older brother frowned. "I talked to Jamie for a couple minutes tonight."

Zacharias perked up hearing that. "That's good, right?"

"Talking to the boy was like pulling teeth. It was obvious that Abby put him up to it after I threatened her."

He went very still beside his brother. "Threatened her how, Alaric?"

Ric rolled his eyes and said, "Not with violence, asshole. I've cut back on my drinking and my head is on straight. I told Abby that I would get the courts to establish paternity for the kids. It's the only way to sue her for joint custody."

"Maybe you should do that anyway. Not the suing for joint custody part, because that would just cause more problems. Establishing paternity would mean adding your name to their birth certificates. Maybe in time Abby would even agree to legal name changes for them. It would be good for the children to at least have our name, Alaric. They deserve to be Salvatores-legally," he replied.

Ric was inclined to agree with his brother. However, getting Abby to agree would be a challenge. She had no interest in their children bearing the Salvatore name. She had been married to Rudy and still refused to give Bonnie his last name. The Bennett women stubbornly refused to give up their maiden names. Even 17-year-old Bonnie had only seen fit to hyphenate her last name after marrying Damon.

He muttered, "We'll see. When are you and Ayana meeting up to start hashing out your responsibilities?"

"We both cleared our schedules for tomorrow. We're going to divy up the roles that we're both best suited to. Then we'll decide which duties have to be shared. We will have everything ironed out before Damon officially steps down as CEO."

Ric nodded. "You need something other than your dick in your hand when you speak to the board. There are going to be those that are apprehensive about having dual CEOs. Especially, when everyone knows we've been fighting over the company for the last few weeks."

"I think we can make them see the value in compromising in this way. The company will be better off with Ayana and I focusing on our strengths," he replied.

Ric nodded. He hoped that his brother was right.

Zach said, "I think I am going to get a shower, too. You coming?"

He chuckled and said, "I think I'll just wait until I get home."

The younger man eyed his brother for a moment and then nodded. He disappeared into the locker room without another word.

Alaric pulled out his phone and considered calling Abby. However, he didn't think she would be eager to talk to him. Instead, he started flipping through the pictures on his phone. He had a couple dozen pictures of his children. He missed them terribly and wanted things to go back to normal. But 'normal' wasn't really an option anymore. Frankly, 'normal' hadn't been particularly fair to any of them. Perhaps the only good thing that came from this debacle was that they had each other now. Josie and Lizzie didn't seem to hold his sins against their younger half-siblings. Abby and Jo had both sent him pictures of the kids together.

He lost track of time while ruminating over his many failures. Alaric was snapped back into the present when he heard raised voices approaching him.

"I'll kill that stupid bitch if she's left my kid alone in a fucking hotel!" Damon snapped.

Ric got to his feet. "What the fuck is happening now?"

"Nadia just called me because she can't find Katherine. Her grandmother is out of town this week so she's alone and scared in the penthouse," Damon complained as he stormed towards the exit.

Zacharias frowned. "Calm down, Damon. We don't know what's happening. Don't overreact until we have the full story."

Ric followed his brother and nephew out of the gym. He locked the door behind them and then piled into Damon's SUV.

Damon started the car and floored it as he left the parking lot.

"Don't kill us on the way to the hotel, Damon. You told Nadia to stay in the penthouse and she's Facetiming with Stefan. She's safe for now," Zacharias counseled.

The younger man gripped the steering wheel so tight that his fingers turned white. "I know Katherine is doing this to be a spiteful bitch. She is probably trying to get my attention because I've been ignoring her. I only take her calls if it's about Nadia. Rose has been handling Katherine's monthly allowance and the house search."

"If that's the case then we will handle it, Damon," Ric assured him.

Damon was glad that he was still at the gym when Nadia called him. He wasn't too far away from the Rischard. He came to a screeching halt in front of the hotel and gestured impatiently to the valet attendant.

The red-vested young man rushed over to the car and gave Damon a ticket.

The three Salvatore men marched into the hotel and went straight to the elevator bank. They rode in charged silence as they went up to the penthouse level.

Damon tried not to fidget as he watched the elevator climb. His hands were clenched at his sides. He was used to playing Katherine's petty games but involving their daughter was too much. It would take every shred of his restraint not to choke the life out of her.

When the elevator doors slid open, Damon flew into the hallway. He quickly arrived at the penthouse and opened the door. Damon could hear Nadia's little voice coming from the living room.

"Papa is here," she said to Stefan.

The mobster crouched in front of the couch and asked, "Are you okay, baby?"

Nadia was wearing light blue pajamas with silver snowflakes all over them. She dropped the phone onto couch and wrapped her arms around Damon's neck. She nodded in answer to his question. "You're here…"

"Of course, I'm here. I'll always show up when you call me. I promise," he murmured into her dark hair that was so much like Katherine's.

Zach said, "I'm going to take a look around."

Damon nodded but continued to hug Nadia. After a moment, he pulled back and asked, "When is the last time you saw your mommy?"

"When she put me to bed. But...I had a nightmare and I went to look for her," she replied in a timid voice.

Damon nodded and rubbed her back. "It's okay. Do you want to tell me about your nightmare?"

Nadia shook her head and instead buried her face in his chest. "Where's mommy?"

"I don't know, baby. But I'll find her," Damon replied.

Zacharias walked into the room. He spoke in a stern voice that brooked no argument, "Come with me, Damon. Now. Alaric, take Nadia into her bedroom."

Damon slowly got to his feet and gently passed his daughter to Ric. He assumed that Zach had found Katherine. Damon couldn't wait to get his hands on her. He said, "Go with your uncle. I'll come get you in a few minutes. You're going to come home with me tonight."

"Okay, Papa," Nadia replied.

Ric nodded and asked, "Which way is your room? I've never been here before."

Nadia directed him to her bedroom that was in the opposite direction of where Zacharias had come.

Zacharias led his nephew into Katherine's bedroom and out onto the balcony. He explained, "The balcony door was closed when I first came in here."

Damon's heartbeat sped up when he saw Katherine slumped over on a chaise lounge. He swallowed thickly and checked for a pulse. Damon huffed out a relieved breath when he found a pulse-even if it was weakened. He brushed Katherine's hair out of her face and breathed out, "What the fuck did you do, Kat?"

Zach said, "I already called 911. We can't cover this up. She needs a hospital."

"Search her room...try to figure out what the fuck she took. Call Rose, please. I need her to do damage control with the press. We won't be able to keep this quiet," Damon ordered quietly.

The older man glanced at the nearly transparent nightgown Katherine wore. He said, "I'll grab a blanket, too."

Damon nodded shakily. He wondered if this was an accidental overdose or a suicide attempt. He didn't know which option would make him feel more culpable. He scooped Katherine up in his arms and carried her into the penthouse.

Zacharias was standing over her nightstand. He was searching a half dozen bottles of narcotics. He said, "She could have taken any of this shit or some combination. Who the hell prescribed all this shit to her? It couldn't be our guy...he'd know not to give your mistress any of this."

"Katherine has her own guy that writes scripts for her," he muttered quietly.

He shook his head and picked up a fleece blanket from the foot of the bed. Zach helped Damon cover her nearly nude form.

Damon placed Katherine on the bed and ran an anxious had through his hair. "What the fuck was she thinking?' he murmured.

Zach looked at his nephew. "Go call your wife, Damon. I'll stay with Katherine until the paramedics arrive."

He nodded numbly and walked out onto the balcony. It was selfish to ask Bonnie for help now. Katherine had taunted his wife for years, but Damon had come to terms with his selfishness long ago. He needed Bonnie's support now. He felt adrift and confused. Damon called her and hoped that she would answer.

 _Bonnie answered after a couple rings. Her sleep weary voice asked, "Hello?"_

"Bunny…" Damon trailed off because he didn't know what to say to her. His thoughts were racing and jumbled. Had he caused this? Had rejecting Katherine sent her over some emotional cliff?

 _There was a pause on the other end of the line as she waited for him to continue speaking. The prolonged silence unnerved the young woman. Bonnie's voice was filled with concern now. "What's wrong?"_

"I know that I'm a narcissistic asshole. I don't deserve you but I need you tonight. There's no one else I trust to be by my side."

 _Bonnie could be heard sitting up in bed. "You're scaring me, Damon. What's wrong? Are you hurt?"_

"I'm at the Rischard penthouse with my uncles. We were at the gym when I got a call from Nadia. She woke up from a nightmare and couldn't find Katherine. I found her...she overdosed on pills. There are so many, I can't even begin to guess what she's taken. We're waiting for an ambulance now but she's unconscious. It's bad and I...please," he finished in a trembling voice.

 _The line went quiet for a beat. Then Bonnie said, "Text me once you know what hospital they will take her to. I'll meet you over there as soon as I can."_

"Thank you, Bunny. Do you want me to send a car for you? It's late and I don't want you driving by yourself."

" _No, I don't need a car but thank you. Tyler is with me. He'll drive me to the hospital. Is Nadia okay?" she asked with genuine concern._

Damon swallowed thickly. "Ric's keeping an eye on her for now. She doesn't know about Katherine. God, I don't even know what to tell her."

" _Don't tell her the truth right now, Damon. You'll just scare her. Say that her mommy isn't feeling well and has to go to the hospital," she advised gently._

Damon nodded even though Bonnie couldn't see him. "Okay, I'll do that."

" _I'll see you soon, Damon." Bonnie said and ended the call._


	74. Blood Will Run

Tyler looked like a man that had been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night...because he had been. He and Bonnie had called it an early night after a couple enthusiastic rounds of fucking. There was no sane person that would call what happened earlier 'lovemaking'. He could feel every bite mark and scratch that Bonnie had left behind. Likewise, he was certain that bruises would become visible on Bonnie by morning. She had been in rare form when he met her at the beach house that evening. He couldn't tell if she wanted to cry, kill someone, or perhaps a combination of the two while recounting Damon's efforts to find her rapist. Tyler had tried talking to her but Bonnie shut him down at every turn. She wanted to fuck or to be left the fuck alone. There wasn't a chance in hell that he was leaving her alone in that state.

The young man's day had been arduous long before his girlfriend asked to meet at the beach house. Richard knew that arguing with his son was a lost cause. Tyler had inherited the infamous Loiacono temper and stubbornness. Continuing to badger the young man would have only led to a physical altercation. Instead, Richard enlisted the help of his own mother. Tyler had spent the better part of the day with his grandmother, Roseanne. He had an unshakable bond with her. After the murder of her husband, she lived with Tyler's family for many years. She had managed her grief by doting on her grandchildren. Mason and Brady were still children but had refused to be coddled by their mother. Both boys thought they had to grow up in the wake of their father's death. Richard had nurtured that sense of responsibility in his younger brothers.

Tyler knew the score when his grandmother asked him to visit her. He drove out to her condo in Santa Monica to hear her plea. He would never consider raising his voice to his beloved grandmother. Tyler just had to listen to her gently explain the reasons why marrying Elena was the only option. However, Roseanne was the only one to offer him an alternative to a loveless marriage. She suggested that Tyler marry Elena now to ensure his child wasn't born out of wedlock. Afterwards, he could file for divorce with few consequences. Sure the Gilberts might be a little stung by the blatant rejection of their daughter but they had done a poor job of raising her in Roseanne's opinion. How had they raised a girl that had the audacity to look down her nose at the very business that financed her extravagant life? Tyler didn't want to marry Elena at all but he appreciated that Roseanne was the only family member that seemed to care about his happiness.

Currently, he was standing across the street from the hospital with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Part of him had wanted to ignore the dozen or so 'Smoke-Free Campus' signs he saw posted around the hospital. However, he was in no mood to be kicked off the hospital's property. Bonnie was in a weird emotional place and needed his presence more than she would admit. It didn't help that Damon was giving an award winning performance as an emotionally wounded man in desperate need of saving. The idiot didn't realize that Bonnie was minutes away from sticking a blade between his ribs to puncture his lungs. She had not forgiven him for the argument in his office. Bonnie wasn't the forgiving sort and she wouldn't soon forget Damon's insinuation that she wanted to be raped.

Tyler would be inside the hospital right now if he wasn't waiting for Brady to arrive. He had called his uncle about picking up food for Bonnie. They had been at the hospital for hours and she was hungry now. Bonnie would have been satisfied with something from the vending machines but none of it was healthy enough for her and the twins. The last thing she needed was to eat something packed with sodium. Her ankles and feet were already swollen. Fortunately, Brady was staying the night with Lucy. She offered to throw together a quick meal for the younger couple and Brady would act as the delivery boy. Tyler was grateful that Lucy thought to include him. He had skipped dinner earlier in favor of getting to Bonnie faster.

He scowled as he saw Damon walking across the street. Tyler had never known him to be a smoker so this wasn't a mere coincidence. He took a drag from his cigarette and glared at Damon. He wanted nothing more than to knock him the fuck out for hurting Bonnie earlier. He doubted the self-centered ass even knew how much harm he had caused. Damon had picked at a sore on Bonnie's psyche that had been festering for years.

"Smoking is a nasty habit," Damon said with some amusement in his voice. He was trying to start the conversation with some cordial banter. He held no illusions about what Tyler thought about him-right or wrong.

"You want to talk about cigarettes being a nasty habit while we're at the hospital because your mistress overdosed on prescription pills?" Tyler sneered.

The older man offered a crooked smile in response. He had actually expected Tyler to bring up his own drug use. However, it seemed that he wasn't at the top of his game now. Damon couldn't blame him for that, it was nearly 3 o'clock in the morning. He was exhausted, too. He said, "Touche…"

He studied Damon for a long moment and then asked, "What do you want, Damon? You hate me. You can't expect me to believe that you're standing out here to be chummy."

He took a moment to consider his words. Damon confessed, "No, you are right. I did come out here with a purpose. I need your help with something important…"

Tyler's dark brown eyes narrowed dangerously. Suddenly, he laughed darkly and said, "You've got to be out of your fucking mind. You can't believe that I would ever help you with anything."

"Bonnie…"

"You let me worry about Bonnie. I am more than capable of taking care of her. I can certainly take care of her better than you ever have," he snapped irritably.

Damon's amusement bled away instantly. He had spotted the hickeys on Bonnie's cleavage when she shed her cardigan in the waiting room. It had taken true willpower to stop himself from starting an argument with her and Tyler. However, Damon was aware that she was going beyond the call of duty even showing up at the hospital. He ground out, "I'm not talking about fucking my wife. Anyone with a cock can do that."

"And yet she's made it abundantly clear that yours will never do so again. You have a lot of nerve coming to me for help after the bullshit you pulled earlier. What kind of depraved asshole do you have to be to ask your own wife if she wanted to be raped?" Tyler growled.

He had been incensed when Bonnie told him what happened. Tyler had only calmed down when he realized that she needed him to talk her off the ledge. Bonnie wanted to cause Damon some bodily harm for saying something so despicable to her. The encounter left her all twisted up inside and doubting herself. Damon had given life to the poisonous lies Bonnie once believed about herself. It had taken years for her to believe that Klaus' actions weren't her fault.

Tyler's rebuke hit its mark because Damon visibly recoiled. He hadn't said the words to Bonnie but his thoughts had come across loud and clear. Damon wished that he could take that piece of idiocy back. She didn't deserve to be disrespected in such a hurtful way.

Damon said, "You're right. I was wrong for even thinking of that. I apologized to Bonnie, but I'm worried about her safety. I have every reason to believe this son of a bitch is still out there. He could hurt her again and that's not something I can let stand."

Tyler's expression was neutral. He wouldn't betray Bonnie by revealing anything to Damon. He snorted, "That's a piss poor excuse for your actions. That's not how someone that loves and respects her would react. When she told me what happened, I exploded. I wanted to murder him with my bare hands...I still do."

Damon saw his opportunity and seized it. "But she's your boss. Your options are limited."

He shook his head. "This has nothing to do with Bonnie being my boss. She's my best friend and she was hurting. She's still hurting. Whatever I'm feeling doesn't really factor into the equation. And trust me, I feel a lot about this fucking situation. I'll never stop feeling guilty for failing Bonnie the way that I did."

The older man frowned because he hadn't expected that answer. He asked, "How did you fail her?"

Tyler glanced at Damon for a long moment and decided what was on his mind wouldn't get him any closer to the truth. Frankly, Damon was the only person that he could risk telling these thoughts. No one in his family knew the truth about Bonnie's rape and Tyler would never burden her with his own emotions about her trauma.

"This is the only secret she ever kept from me. I was in Milazzo the summer this happened. I have to believe that's the reason Bonnie didn't tell me at the time. I was only in Milazzo because my old man didn't trust my self-control. He was worried that Bonnie and I were getting too close," he said with no small amount of self-loathing.

Damon didn't know much about what happened to Bonnie. She had offered precious few details to him. He wondered what the boy might be willing to reveal. "Were you...getting too close?"

He noted that there was no jealousy in Damon's voice. He only heard curiosity. Tyler nodded and said, "Bonnie and I both knew that she would have to marry for the good of her family. But that didn't prevent us from developing feelings for each other. And we were teenagers with too much unsupervised time on our hands...you can guess how that went. Since I found out what happened while I was away, I second guess every decision I made. I could have told my father to piss off...I was already 18-years-old at the time. He couldn't make me go anywhere. Or maybe if I had just used a little common sense after all the times he warned me about getting too close to my future boss. Some nights I dream about saving her, y'know? But then they're nights where my nightmares are..."

Damon swallowed thickly. Part of him wanted to know every detail, but looking at Tyler's broken visage gave him pause. Once again he was reminded of just how damn young Tyler and Bonnie were. As much as he despised him, Damon wouldn't wish that sort of pain on him. "You couldn't have stopped…"

Tyler cut him off and snapped, "You have no idea how it happened. If I had been here, I could have stopped it. I could have protected Bonnie. He would have never laid a single finger on her. Bonnie was such an easy target, she has this chameleon-like ability. She can fade into the scenery if you aren't looking for her. But I was always looking for Bonnie, my eyes were always on her. I would have noticed if she had gone missing for a couple hours. She couldn't have gone missing for 30 minutes without me looking for her."

He felt ill as he considered what Tyler told him. Damon had been working on the assumption that this predator had encountered Bonnie at parties or functions hosted by Giuseppe. It was the only way someone outside the family would have had access to Bonnie without guards watching her. "Do you know where I was…"

"Chasing your flavor of the month...Sybil," he muttered bitterly.

Damon thought back to that summer. Sybil had tried her best to become his girlfriend. She had a habit of showing up without invitation. Damon rarely sent her away because she was a damn good lay. However, he did remember that she and Bonnie mixed as well as oil and water. It had taken him awhile to realize that Sybil was jealous of her. He had all but dragged her out of Klaus' birthday party after she purposely dumped a pitcher of strawberry daiquiri on Bonnie. Sybil had accused him of ignoring her in favor of Bonnie because he was fucking her. Damon had scoffed at the notion because she had been sixteen at the time. He was only keeping an eye on her because she was too young to be at the party. Damon hadn't been blind to Bonnie's beauty but statutory rape had never been his thing.

Damon shook off his thoughts and said, "I know that you don't like me and the feeling is mutual. But I think we both have Bonnie's best interest at heart. I am not asking you to tell me anything. I know you would never betray her."

Tyler frowned at him. "Then what was all of this about?"

"I'm asking you to put an end to this. Whack the son of a bitch and I'll protect you...no matter the backlash," Damon offered sincerely.

"Backlash?" he asked tentatively. He wondered if Damon was perhaps closer to the truth than Bonnie thought. She was used to running circles around him, maybe she had missed something.

Damon said, "I've wracked my brain trying to figure out why Bonnie didn't tell Sheila when it happened and why she hasn't taken care of him herself. Bonnie is certainly capable of it and she has plenty of people that would kill for her without question. The hesitation has to be because this son of a bitch has connections. Well, I don't care how connected he is or who might be in his pocket. I want him dead."

Tyler sized up the older mobster and could tell that he was being serious. The offer was more tempting than it should have been. He was loyal to Bonnie and would always follow her lead. However, Tyler was only hours removed from holding her as she cried. She had questioned if something was wrong with her for not whacking Klaus. Tyler knew that Bonnie keeping him alive was about more than business. Klaus had infected her in some way. She gave him the benefit of doubt when he didn't deserve it. She gave Damon a similar amount of leeway. Case in point, he had acted like a complete asshole earlier, but she still showed up when he needed her.

Bonnie could be ruthless with her enemies. She was also the least forgiving person that he knew. However, she had a hard time severing ties with people that meant something to her. Klaus for all the pain he had caused her, was one of the few people that ever took the time to truly see her. He saw the loneliness and the brokenness that so many others ignored. He even shared his own loneliness and brokenness with Bonnie so that she didn't feel so alien. He held up a mirror and she saw some part of herself in him.

Her devotion to Damon was born in a similar way. She had always looked up to him because he was like an older brother. Damon treated her the same way that he treated Stefan. He was often busy, but when he wasn't they had his full attention. He taught them how to swim and surf when their families vacationed together. However, Bonnie developed a crush on Damon after he brutally defended her honor against a racist asshole. It was at that age where she was finally old enough to see behind the facade that Damon showed the world. He was just as broken and lonely as she was. His upbringing had destroyed him in the same ways that Bonnie's had destroyed her. She wanted Damon because she believed they were broken pieces that could fit together to make a whole. Once they were married, Bonnie spent years trying to make their broken halves work. However, the last few months had convinced her it was impossible.

Tyler took a long drag from his cigarette and then glanced at the darkened sky. "As much as it pains me to admit it, I understand where you are coming from, Damon. This prick should be rotting in the ground, but moving against him would be a betrayal to Bonnie. It would directly undermine her authority. Our history dictates that she would forgive me but it would change our friendship. There are so few people she trusts in this world...I won't do anything to make her lose another. When Giuseppe attacked her, I am the only person that she called. I never want to put her in a position where she feels there is no one she can call...no one that she can trust."

It wasn't the answer that Damon wanted but he could understand Tyler's position. It still hurt knowing that Bonnie hadn't reached out when she needed him most. He should have been the one to offer comfort and protection after what Giuseppe did to her. He was grateful that she had at least one person that she could look to for help.

He nodded and said, "I get it. Just...if it ever looks like she's in danger."

Tyler's eyes darkened and he said, "If I ever think he poses a danger to Bonnie I will carve out his fucking heart."

Damon believed the younger man's pledge. "Okay. If it ever comes to that...I'll back you up."

He said, "For now he's contained."

Damon still didn't believe that the man was in prison. However, Tyler had made it clear that he would toe the party line. Damon was about to go back into the hospital when something caught his eye. He frowned when he noticed a car driving down the street slowly. For a moment, he thought it might be Brady arriving with food for Bonnie.

Then the back window rolled down and a gun barrel appeared.

"Get down!" he yelled. Damon dove onto the ground as bullets began flying in their direction.

Tyler hit the ground with a thud. He laid there as the bullets flew over his head and glass rained down on him. He could feel a searing pain in his shoulder that could only be one thing. This wasn't the first time he had been shot and it probably wouldn't he the last time.

Damon heard the moment more guns entered the fray. He knew it had to be his security team returning fire with the assassins in the car. He felt the falling glass piercing his exposed skin. For a time, it seemed as if the shooting would never end.

Finally, tires screeched loudly as the car sped away from scene leaving destruction in its wake. Just like that the street turned eerily silent with only police sirens in the distance.

Heavy footsteps rushed in their direction.

Luke asked, "Are you okay, boss?"

Kai stood with his eyes toward the street looking for another threat. He was already on his phone calling for backup.

Damon slowly got to his feet. He frowned at the blood on his hands as his heart thumped rapidly in his chest. There was no doubt in his mind that someone had just made an attempt on his life.

Luke was concerned when Damon didn't say anything. "Boss?"

Kai glanced over his shoulder to see if Damon was okay.

He said, "I'm fine."

Tyler rolled onto his back with a groan and pressed a hand to his shoulder. "I'm not."

Damon finally saw the blood rushing out of Tyler's shoulder. He reached down and pulled Tyler up by his good arm. "Son of a bitch…the fucking cops are going to be all over this."

Luke frowned at all the blood and nodded at Damon. He said, "This went down in front of the hospital. There are bound to be security cameras covering every inch of this street."

The older man ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He said, "Get our people working on this. I want to know who the fuck is responsible, preferably before the cops know it. And get my fucking brother on the phone!"

Luke nodded and said, "I'll get into it now."

Damon looked at Tyler. "I'll help you across the street."

Tyler wanted to reject the help but he was feeling lightheaded. He said, "Thanks for warning me."

He snorted but didn't respond. His life would be easier if the little bastard had been killed tonight. However, Damon wasn't a maniac. The kid had not done anything to warrant death. Damon wasn't his father, he didn't make a habit of killing people simply because they displeased him. Damon supported Tyler's weight as they walked into the hospital together.

The emergency room was in complete disarray because of the shooting. Security was swarming all over the place.

He called out, "We need some help over here! My friend was shot."

A nurse rushed over with a wheelchair and called out for a doctor.

Damon helped Tyler into the wheelchair.

Tyler looked at him and said, "Tell Bonnie what happened as soon as you can. Don't let her find out some other way. She will lose her shit. She's...just trust me on this, yeah?"

Damon frowned at whatever Tyler had opted not to say. He said, "I'll head up there to see her now."

The nurse said, "A doctor should see you as well…"

Damon looked at the cuts on his hands and said, "I'm fine."

The older woman didn't look like she agreed but decided to focus on the patient in more dire straits.

Kai was Damon's shadow as they went upstairs to the ICU. Katherine had been moved there after her stomach was pumped. She hadn't regained consciousness yet but the doctors were optimistic.

He walked into a private waiting room where Bonnie, Zacharias, and Rose were waiting.

Bonnie noticed the blood as soon as Damon walked into the room. She gasped. "Are you okay?"

Zach was was out of his seat immediately. "What the hell happened to you?"

Damon sidestepped his uncle. "I need to talk to Bonnie first. Everyone else get out...Now!"

Zach, Rose, and Kai exited the room without protest.

Bonnie studied him worriedly and tried to find the worst of his injuries. She swallowed thickly thinking about how injured he might be. "What happened, Damon? Who did this to you?"

He tried to ignore the kernel of hope he felt because of Bonnie's concern for him. Instead, he took both of her hands into his and said, "I'm fine, Bunny. I got cut by some glass. There was a shooting across the street from the hospital. Tyler was with me at the time. He was shot but…"

All of her concern for Damon evaporated at the mention of Tyler. It seemed like something snapped inside her. Bonnie snatched her hands away from Damon as she began to tremble. She roared at him, "What did you do? You stupid son of a bitch, what did you do to him?"

Damon hadn't been prepared for this reaction but perhaps he should have been. He tried to pull Bonnie towards him. He wasn't sure if it was to comfort her or restrain her. He swore, "I didn't do anything. I swear on my life that I am not responsible for this."

Bonnie wrenched her hands out of Damon's grasp and shoved him hard enough to make him stumble. She growled, "Don't you touch me! I don't believe you. If I find out that you're behind this, I will fucking end you, Damon. You, your uncles, and the rest of your miserable fucking organization! I'll start with that drugged up whore clinging to life down the hall."

Damon stared at Bonnie in shock. It took a moment for him to wrap his mind around what was certainly a promise and not merely a threat. His eyes hardened. "You want to kill me, Bunny. I'm right here! Take your fucking shot."

Bonnie's fists were clenched so tightly that her nails broke the skin. She asked, "Where is Tyler?"

"Your boyfriend is in the emergency room getting treated for a gunshot wound to the shoulder. He'll live," Damon spat bitterly.

Bonnie grabbed her purse and shouldered by Damon. "You better be right."

He watched as she stormed out the room. Damon picked up a chair and threw it across the room.

Zacharias walked into the room. "Don't get us kicked out of the hospital, nipote. Kai filled me in on what happened. I've already had security beefed up at the house. Do you think this was about you or Tyler?"

Damon glared because he was still ready for a fight. However, being the boss meant stowing his personal shit for now. He said, "I don't know. I saw the car slow down and then...bullets everywhere. I can't tell who the target was. Who would try to kill Tyler? He's not exactly a high value target."

"It's no longer a secret that he is seeing Bonnie. They've been fairly public lately. And she gave him the territory once controlled by the Molinari brothers after that shit with Jamie. His profile is rising even if people think it's because of their relationship."

Damon ran a hand over his face. He didn't know what to think. However, no matter the intended target this was bad news. There was also a chance that someone was trying to increase tensions between Damon and Bonnie's organizations. Her reaction spoke to the hair trigger she had where Tyler was concerned.

Zach moved closer to get look at his nephew.

"I'm fine. I didn't get hit," he muttered irritably.

He knew what was troubling Damon. It wasn't as if their conversation went unheard in the hallway. He began, "She was emotional…"

"She threatened to kill me. And you for what it's worth," Damon snapped. He wasn't in the mood to hear Zach defend Bonnie.

Zach noted his nephew's expression. "Don't go antagonising her now. I don't blame you for wanting to confront Bonnie about the threats. This sort of thing can't happen again no matter the circumstances. But you need to have that conversation when the two of you aren't spoiling for a fight. You can't afford to accidentally start a war with her when someone just tried to gun you down in the fucking street."

Damon wanted to rage at Bonnie but it would just drive a larger wedge between them. Of course she believed he might be involved with an attempt on Tyler's life. He had threatened the kid before. Even Stefan had been concerned that he might actually whack Tyler. However, none of that soothed the hurt of Bonnie threatening to kill him.

Zach asked, "Did you manage to see the shooters?"

Damon shook his head. "I saw the gun barrel and hit the fucking ground. I've got Luke working on getting surveillance footage. He was supposed to put a call into Stefan, too."

Zach nodded and said, "Good."

Damon said, "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?' he asked with concern.

"Worry about finding out who tried to kill me! Let me worry about my fucking marriage. Can you do that for me, Zio?"

Zach didn't think this was a good idea, but Damon was the boss. He was Damon's uncle and his consigliere. He could offer guidance and advice but it was up to his nephew to accept it.

Damon didn't wait for an answer before sweeping out the room. He needed to settle this with Bonnie now. He didn't like the bitterness building inside him. It felt poisonous. It felt like a sickness that could spread farther than either of them wanted. They both wielded too much power to let something like this fester.

He made his way down to the emergency room and tried to find Tyler. It turned out to be simple because he could hear Bonnie weeping. He whipped back the curtain and frowned at the scene in front of him.

Tyler stood on unsteady legs with his arms around Bonnie. He said, "I'm right here."

Bonnie clutched his blood stained shirt with both hands as she sobbed. Her breathing was erratic as she hovered near hyperventilation. "I don't know what I do if something happened to you, Ty. I can't...I can't...I can't…."

He murmured, "I'm fine. It was a through and through. I'm not going anywhere, Bon. Not today. But you gotta calm down for me, please. Think about babies..."

Damon watched as Tyler rested a hand on Bonnie's rounded stomach. He still wasn't happy about what happened upstairs but he had never seen Bonnie like this. Not even when Jamie had been kidnapped did she appear this undone.

Bonnie struggled to control her breathing but couldn't seem to do it. She gasped for air and shook her head.

Tyler said, "Come on. You can do it, Bon. Deep breath in through the nose. Like this...do it with me."

Damon could see that Tyler wasn't going to be able to keep this up for long. He had lost a lot of blood outside. He said, "Maybe you both should sit down."

They both looked in Damon's direction. Bonnie looked so incredibly lost. She quickly looked away and buried her face against Tyler's chest again.

"Damon's right. Let's sit down," Tyler said as he helped her sit on the side of the bed.

He said, "I'll go find a doctor...for both of you."

Tyler glanced in his direction and said, "Thanks."

Damon nodded and left them alone. As he walked into the hall, he saw the police headed in his direction. He knew the cops would be involved, but he never liked dealing with them. He muttered, "Fuck."

* * *

Two Hours Later...

Niklaus slowly reached for the gun tucked beside his bed. He had been asleep moments ago but was awakened by footsteps approaching his bedroom. He had set the alarm before going to bed hours ago. Only someone with the security passcode could enter without triggering the alarm. However, everyone in his family knew better than to enter the guesthouse without his permission. In short, prison had made him a little paranoid.

Elijah stood in the doorway after turning on the lights. He was dressed in a navy blue robe but he had a gun in his right hand. He said, "Wake up, Niklaus."

Klaus turned over and sat up in bed. He frowned seeing the gun in his brother's hand. "I nearly killed you, brother. What are you doing here at this hour?"

"We've been hit. A group of armed men targeted Kol's poker game ten minutes ago," Elijah said. His brown eyes looked almost black in his fury.

His older brother's words cleared any remaining cobwebs. Klaus' mind immediately went to their younger brother. Kol wouldn't have departed until after the game ended. He never trusted anyone else to handle the house's money. It was a practice that he had learned from their father. He asked, "How bad is it?"

"I don't know all the details yet, but Kol was shot. He's being rushed to St. Vincent's right now. Andrew and Henrik were supposed to be there tonight but Cary couldn't find them in the chaos. They might have left before the shooting started or they could be among the dead," Elijah replied as calmly as he could manage.

Klaus climbed out of the bed uncaring of his nakedness. He was going massacre whatever group thought it wise to attack his family. Klaus refused to consider that his little brother and nephew were dead. He wouldn't believe it until he saw their bodies. He started dressing and asked, "Did you try their phones?"

He said, "Hayley and Rebekah are doing that now. But that's not all...someone made an attempt on Damon Salvatore's life two hours ago. Tyler Lockwood ended up getting shot."

Klaus froze when he heard that Tyler Lockwood had been with Damon. He could think of only one reason those two men would be in the same place-Bonnie. He turned to look at his brother. "Was Bonnie with them?"

Elijah noted the immediate look of concern from Niklaus. However, he had other concerns. Someone hit the Salvatores first, and then someone hit their family. Outsiders could wrongly assume that their two organizations were warring with one another. They had been allied for too long for them to start killing each other without trying to negotiate peace. Even if Damon had learned the truth of Niklaus' actions, he would have demanded Elijah turn him over before resorting to unprovoked violence. No, someone was trying to spark a war. He said, "She's safe and sound from what I hear from our people in the PD."

He gave a tense nod and finished dressing. He said, "I have Lucy Bennett's number. She can get me in touch with their cousin. Maybe Andrew is with Cristian. They have been spending time together as of late."

Elijah said, "It is worth a shot. I would like to have something to tell our sister when she arrives. I have already sent armed guards to collect Freya and the children. Until we know what is happening, everyone is safer behind these walls."

Klaus didn't envy Elijah's position. Freya never wanted her children involved in organized crime. She would be livid finding out just how involved Andrew had become. However, that was preferable to her being inconsolable because of his death. Klaus forced that idea from his mind.

"What of Finn?" Klaus asked as he put on his double holster.

"I know that he won't agree to leave the rectory, but I've sent armed guards over there. They will protect our brother whether he likes it or not," he replied.

Klaus grabbed his jacket. "Good. A man of the cloth or not, he's still our blood and could be in danger."

Although, he had a hard time imagining someone depraved enough to kill a priest. There were certain lines that everyone knew not to cross.

"Where are you going?"

"I am going to go find Henrik and Andrew," Klaus said defiantly. There was no way he would let Elijah deter him.

The older man shook his head and said, "Take men with you. I have one brother heading to hospital. I don't want another."

Klaus agreed, "Alright. I'll call the minute I know anything about the boys."

Elijah stopped Niklaus and pulled him into a hug. "We will find out who did this, Niklaus. And they will wish that they had struck true the first time."

The younger man knew that his brother's measured words promised vengeance and death. The two men were never more alike than in moments like these. He returned the hug before picking up his phone on the way out the guesthouse.

He pulled up Lucy's phone and called her as he marched into the main house. He snapped his fingers and pointed to five men that dutifully followed him.

" _Now isn't a good time, Klaus," Lucy said in a way of greeting._

He sneered, "Nor is it a good time for me, love. However, I am looking for my nephew. I am hoping he is with your cousin. We have something of a delicate situation on our hands. Someone made a move on my family tonight."

 _The line went silent for several tense moments. Lucy sounded wary, "I've been trying to find Cris for the last two hours. He's not answering his fucking phone. I was going to send someone over to his hotel."_

"Where is he staying? I'll head over there," Klaus demanded.


	75. Shock To The System

Cristian groaned when he heard someone pounding on his penthouse suite door. He glanced at the clock and realized that it was slightly after 5 o'clock in the morning. He was lingering somewhere between drunk and hungover after only sleeping a few hours. Despite Andrew following Cristian back to his hotel, they hadn't done more than collapse into bed. Kol had spent most of the night plying Andrew with alcohol and scantily clad women. The teen's uncle seemed bound and determined to prove he wasn't gay. Cristian had been happy to play interference all night. He had enjoyed drinking Kol's expensive liquor and flirting with his high end escorts.

Andrew had been exceedingly grateful for Cristian's help appeasing his uncle. Cristian understood his plight better than most people could. He had been raised in the hypermasculine world of organized crime, too. Cristian had dreaded coming out to his family, but Cesare had encouraged him. It felt safer knowing that his older brother was in his corner. Fortunately, everyone had mostly taken the news in stride because his grandfather's word was law. It had taken the family's patriarch time to come to terms with his grandson's sexual orientation, but he didn't allow anyone to shame or harass him in the meantime. However, that didn't stop well meaning uncles, cousins, and friends from trying to convince Cristian of his 'inherent straightness'. They didn't seem to understand that being bisexual meant that he liked women, too. He had enjoyed the influx of beautiful women in his bed, but it hadn't 'cured' him as they intended. Kol's feeble attempts to 'cure' Andrew would be even more fruitless.

Cristian felt his eyes closing again when someone pounded on the penthouse door again. He grabbed his gun from the bedside table and stumbled out of the bedroom. He muttered, "Son of a bitch…"

He looked out the peephole and frowned upon seeing Klaus standing there. The man's furious expression made Cristian grateful that he thought to grab his gun. However, he did wish that he had thought to put on pants. His family would never let him live down getting shot in a pair of The Flash pajama bottoms. He placed the arm holding the gun behind his back and opened the door.

"There a reason you're knocking on my door this late, Mikaelson?" Cristian asked. He casually eyed the other men loitering in the hallway. They were obviously protecting Klaus. Something was definitely wrong if he was rolling with such heavy security. Klaus was a man that was known for being capable of taking care of himself.

Klaus tried to rein in his temper. It was normal for Cristian to be incensed by someone waking him up at such an ungodly hour. It was obvious that he had been asleep for a while. He replied, "Wouldn't be here if you saw fit to answer your fucking phone, mate. Your family is looking for you, but that's not my concern. Is my nephew with you?"

Cristian relaxed marginally and put the safety on his gun. However, a deep feeling of dread settled in the very pit of his stomach. He could only think of a handful of reasons that their families would be looking for them at this time of night. "Yes, Andrew is crashing here for the night. Why would my family be looking for me? Did something happen?"

Klaus stepped into the penthouse when Cristian waved him inside. He motioned for the guards to remain in the hallway. He didn't know exactly what state of undress he'd find his nephew. Andrew was a shy soul and wouldn't appreciate an audience. He said, "Someone shot Tyler Lockwood tonight while Damon was standing beside him. Everyone is working on the assumption that Damon was the intended target. A couple hours later, my brother's poker game was hit, too. Kol was shot and a couple others were killed. Henrik and Andrew were both supposed to be there tonight, but no one could find them. I called Lucy and she told me that you were staying here. I hoped that Andrew would be here with you."

Cristian's blood ran cold as he listened to Klaus run down the situation. He needed to get to Bonnie immediately. She had to be going out of her mind if Tyler had been shot. He said, "Well, you can put everyone at ease. Your brother and nephew have been here for hours. They're both safe."

Klaus was relieved to know Henrik and Andrew were safe. They were both so young and he wasn't ready to contemplate a world without them in it. He nodded slowly and then frowned. "They're both here...with you?"

The mobster ran a hand through his raven hair and scowled at the silent accusation in Klaus' question. He said, "Andrew was pretty wasted when we left the poker game. I think Henrik came along to protect his virtue. It wasn't necessary because I don't fuck men or women too drunk to give consent. They both crashed in one of the spare bedrooms."

Klaus felt as if he had been granted a double miracle tonight. He would be sure to toss few thousand dollars into the collection plate the next time he visited Finn's church. He shouldn't have been surprised that Henrik would designate himself as Andrew's 'chaperone'. He was only two years older than their nephew was but he had always been protective of him. He took out his phone and said, "I need to call my brother."

Cristian said, "And I need to call my family to let them know that I am okay. Andrew and Henrik should be in the second room on the left."

He nodded and took out his phone as he followed Cristian's directions.

Cristian went back to his own bedroom and picked up his phone from the nightstand. He winced at the thirty or so missed calls. He would never hear the end of this. He decided to call his older brother first. The last thing he wanted was for Cesare to drive out here to check on him. He was already going to get a lecture for putting his phone on silent. He sat on the side of the bed and called his brother.

" _Where the fuck have you been?" Cesare bellowed into the phone. The concern was evident beneath the anger._

The younger man had expected this response from his brother. He also knew it was well deserved. He said, "I'm sorry. I was all fucked up from a night of drinking. I passed out. Klaus just turned up looking for his nephew and brother. He told me what happened. How are Tyler and Bonnie doing?"

 _There was a moment of tense silence. Then Cesare said, "Tyler took one to the shoulder. It was a clean through and through. He lost a lot of blood but he's had a transfusion since then. He wouldn't even let the doctor admit him to the hospital. He's a stubborn son of a bitch like his old man. Bonnie was nowhere near the shooting when it happened. She's fine physically but Tyler getting shot took a toll on her."_

Cristian was glad to know that Bonnie hadn't been in the line of fire. However, someone hitting the Salvatores and the Mikaelsons on the same night wasn't a coincidence-it was war. He scrubbed at his face in exhaustion. "What do we know?"

" _Damon's people returned fire and clipped one of the shooters. His partners dumped the body a couple blocks away from the hospital. Our people in the PD made an initial identification on the body from fingerprints. His records lists him as an associate of the Dezerians."_

He took a minute to think about the crew's name. He had been briefed on them weeks ago. The Dezerians had used the upheaval in the Salvatore organization to start encroaching on their territory back in December. "The drug runners up North that have been kicking up dust lately?"

" _Yes, but he's only a known associate. Could be that these attacks were organized by the Dezerians or someone is trying to manipulate us."_

"It would explain the perplexing decision to drop a body so near the crime scene. They had to know that both organizations would be monitoring the police's investigation. It would be the perfect way to send us on a wild goose chase. Where are you now?"

 _Cesare said, "I'm at the Salvatore Manor. Bonnie thought it best to present a united front with Damon. Abby is here with the kids, too. I'm trying to keep her from killing Alaric. It hasn't been easy. The morose fuck won't leave Abby alone and she's carrying."_

Cristian knew that Abby still held a grudge against Alaric. The older man likely underestimated how close he was to death's door. People had a habit of not taking Abby's quiet rage seriously. He said, "I am on my way over. I'll try to keep our cousin occupied."

" _It would be appreciated. She's always liked you better anyway…" he replied wryly._

"It's because I look more like Papa than you do," Cristian joked.

 _Cesare said, "That's true. We haven't talked to the Mikaelsons directly yet. Damon has been dealing with them. What impression did you get from Klaus?"_

He considered their brief interaction and said, "He was mostly relieved that Andrew and Henrik were safe. We were all at Kol's poker game hours before the shooting happened. I didn't get the impression that he was accusing us of anything."

" _Are they still there?" he asked._

"Yes, I can hear them talking in the other room. Does Bonnie want me to do anything?" he asked.

 _Cesare said, "Give me a minute…"_

"Okay." he waited as Cesare spoke with someone in the background.

" _Cris, I am so glad that you are okay. We were so worried about you," Bonnie said._

He swallowed thickly hearing the earnest emotion in his cousin's voice. Bonnie had enough to deal with since Tyler had been shot. He said, "I am sorry, Bonnie. I should have been with you tonight when you needed me."

 _Bonnie huffed out a soft laugh. "You don't have to apologize to me. You were out having a good time. I'm happy that you were. Someone should be able to say something good about this shittastic night. I'll fill you in later about everything that happened to me tonight."_

He argued, "But I should have left my phone on."

" _There is no use crying over spilled milk, Cris. We've all put our phones on silent before to disconnect from the rest of the world for a minute. How were you supposed to know that everything would go to complete shit in the span of a few hours?"_

He smiled a little. Leave it to Bonnie to try cheering him up in a moment like this. He conceded, "I know that you are right but Catholic guilt is a hell of a thing."

 _Bonnie laughed softly and said, "Well, we can put that good old fashioned Catholic guilt to use this morning. I need you to talk to Klaus for me. Let him know that I'm praying for his family and that I'm here if he needs anything. I would call myself but I don't want to intrude."_

"Leave it to me. I'll handle it, Bonnie. I will call you once I leave the hotel."

" _Do you want me to send someone over there to escort you? It's dangerous to be out alone right now. I still don't know if Tyler and Damon were both potential targets…" she said anxiously._

Cristian knew that his cousin had good reason to be worried. However, he didn't feel like waiting for bodyguards to reach his hotel. He didn't want to delay joining his family. He wasn't keen on his family being in such close proximity with the Salvatores. He said, "That's not necessary. I have a bulletproof vest. I'll put it on before I leave."

" _Watch your back, Cris. I'll see you soon."_

"Always," he promised.

He ended the call and then ran a hand through his dark hair. Cristian got to his feet and walked out into the living area. The three Mikaelsons were discussing where they were headed next. Klaus wanted them to go home but they were determined to be by Kol's side.

Andrew looked worse for wear after a night of drinking and partying. However, his inebriation was dulled by serious concern for his family. He walked over to Cristian and said, "I was just about to come find you. I'm going to leave with my uncles. We're going to the hospital to check on Uncle Kol."

"It's okay. I need to check on my family, too. I hope your uncle is okay. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything...even if it's just to talk."

He nodded and said, "Thanks, Cristian. You can call me, too."

Cristian squeezed his shoulder and said, "I will." He walked across the room and asked, "Can I have a word with you, Klaus?"

He nodded his head at Henrik and said, "Wait for me out in the hallway."

"Come on, Drew. We should call Freya," Henrik called out.

Andrew winced because he was not looking forward to that call. His mother would be equal parts hysterical and furious. She wouldn't be pleased to know that he had been at Kol's poker game or that he had been drinking. His brush with death would be another matter entirely. It would be more proof that he was becoming more involved with their family's business. He quickly followed his uncle out into the hall.

Cristian waited until they were alone. "Bonnie wants you to know that she is praying for Kol and your entire family. She knows how close you two once were. Please, let us know if there is anything we can do to help. She would also like to talk to you at your earliest convenience. There is no rush, Bonnie knows that this is a trying time for everyone."

Klaus knew that Bonnie was likely eager to remind him of their friendship. He couldn't blame her for being concerned at a time like this. He said, "I going to the hospital to check on my brother. But I will be sure to call her afterwards."

"That would be great. I hope Kol makes a swift recovery. I've only just met him tonight but he seems like a good guy," he said.

Klaus nodded. "Thank you."

Cristian walked him to the door and then secured it. He sniffed himself and decided a shower was necessary. He didn't know when he would have another opportunity. He couldn't spend the rest of the day smelling like liquor, cigar smoke, and perfume.

Cole took off his rubber gloves and discarded them in a nearby trash can. He said, "After a thorough examination, I am going to concur with the ER doctor's assessment. Your greatest concern right now will be infection. You'll need to keep the wound clean and take a full course of antibiotics. Did the hospital give you guidelines for wound care?"

* * *

Tyler suppressed the urge to roll his eyes in frustration. Cole was only doing as he was told. His efforts were appreciated but not strictly necessary. He still couldn't believe that Bonnie had dragged his cousin out of bed in the middle of the night for this. He had already been evaluated and treated at the hospital. This wasn't Tyler's first time being shot. His injury wasn't even particularly life-threatening. However, Tyler didn't object too much because he knew that Bonnie needed to be reassured. He said, "Yes."

Bonnie sat on the edge of the bed and said, "I would like you to go through the wound care regimen with me, Cole. You know how stubborn Tyler can be. I want to make sure that Mr. Macho Man doesn't develop an infection or sepsis."

"I'm not stubborn," Tyler replied in a mulish tone.

Cole lifted an eyebrow but wisely refrained from joining the couples' argument. He thought Bonnie was right to be concerned. Tyler should have allowed the doctor to admit him to the hospital. The gunshot wound was fairly mild, but the loss of blood was disconcerting. Moreover, the risk of infection was high. Nevertheless, Cole couldn't imagine himself staying in the hospital if the roles were reversed. He would want to be on the streets to help protect his family. Cole wasn't known to be violent and he certainly didn't possess the sadistic streak that seemed to run in his family. However, even he was armed with a glock because of the heightened threat level.

Bonnie argued, "You should still be in the hospital, Ty. You were shot only a few hours ago and had to have a fucking blood transfusion. You are being stubborn for no good reason. I will not let you die because of some stupid idea of masculinity."

"This doesn't have anything to do with masculinity. We were hit tonight, Bon. Do you really think I could stand being apart from you right now? I am right where I am supposed to be," he replied. The steel in his voice was tempered by the hand he rested on her belly.

The twins kicked against his palm.

"See they agree with me," he said with a small grin.

Bonnie scoffed but her eyes had already softened. She rested a hand on top of his. She confessed, "I would have found it hard to leave you laid up in the hospital like that. But I'm needed here."

Tyler grinned in triumph and pecked her cheek. "If I am going to be laid up, it might as well be in a cushy guest suite in the Salvatore Manor. The thread count alone is doing wonders for my recovery."

She chuckled softly and said, "You are an idiot sometimes, but you are my idiot."

"Always," he promised. Tyler looked at his cousin and chuckled. Cole was looking everywhere but the bed. He had to commend Cole for pretending that they weren't arguing in front of him. He cleared his throat. "I might have been a little woozy at the hospital. Could you run through proper wound care, cugine?"

Cole bit back a smile and nodded, "I have a checklist for you. Wound care for a gunshot of this mild nature is simple but the details can get lost in the shuffle. You're going to have to clean the wound twice a day. You'll need to do that with warm water. Don't use anything like alcohol or peroxide to clean the wound because they have astringent properties that can delay the healing process. Astringents tend to shrink the tissue around the wound and that isn't what we want in this situation. Once the wound is cleaned, cover it with Vaseline and a clean bandage. Don't use anything with an adhesive on it. I'll come by every day to check on your progress personally."

Tyler knew everything that Cole had just explained but Bonnie seemed less tense. He said, "I don't think it's necessary for you to check on me personally, Cole."

"You're my cousin and I'm going to make sure you don't get gangrene because you don't recognize the start of an infection. If you put up too much of a fuss...I'll tell your mother," he said with a deadpan expression.

Bonnie laughed softly and said, "I should have called Carol from the start. There's no way she would have let Tyler walk out that hospital. She would have told Uncle Richie to take off his belt to get you in line."

Tyler winced because his mother had already chewed him out over the phone. She probably would have convinced Richard to keep him at the hospital. "I've been shot. Isn't everyone supposed to be nice to me?"

Bonnie smirked and said, "You can't have it both ways, Ty. Either I need to be sweet and treat you with kid gloves or you getting shot is no big deal."

He chuckled deeply and said, "Be sweet to me."

She leaned over and pecked him on the lips. "Then I don't want to hear anymore complaints out of you. Let me take care of you, please."

"Okay," he relented.

Cole's voice was drenched with amusement. "Do you want me to be sweet to you, too?"

Tyler flipped him off. "Fuck you, asshole. You just make sure I don't lose a fucking arm like Zio Savio."

"That, I can do." Cole looked to Bonnie and said, "I want you to take it easy, too. Your blood pressure was within range earlier but we don't want it to spike too high. Rest when you feel tired. Eat little meals throughout the day even if you don't have much of an appetite. Call me if you start feeling lightheaded."

Bonnie rubbed her stomach and nodded. "I feel fine now but I will call you if that changes. Thank you for coming over here before sunrise, Cole."

"You are welcome but I am glad to be able to help in some way. Did the hospital prescribe you anything for the pain, Ty?"

He nodded with a small grin. "Yeah. Bonnie had to throw her weight around to make it happen. They weren't eager to be helpful since I was leaving AMA. I told her that we could have just get you to write the scripts."

She huffed, "He's lucky that I didn't ram his fucking head through a wall. Fucking condescending asshole…"

Cole chuckled under his breath. Bonnie was fierce when it came to the people she loved. He could just imagine her reaction when the doctor planned to make Tyler leave without prescriptions for pain medication or antibiotics. "Make sure you take the entire course of antibiotics as directed. Also, if you run out of pain meds or need something stronger...just let me know."

Lucy knocked on the door and then walked into the room. "I am sorry to barge in but you're needed-now."

Bonnie got to her feet immediately. "What's wrong?"

"Abby is about to fuck Alaric right the fuck up."

Bonnie lifted an eyebrow at the second 'fuck', because Lucy obviously meant business. "Because that is exactly what we need right now. What is he doing?"

"He threatened to sue Abby for custody if she doesn't guarantee him time with Jamie," Lucy said.

"And he thought this was the right time to bring this shit up?" she muttered.

"Captive audience?" Lucy suggested with a shrug of her shoulders.

Tyler groaned and started to move. "I'm coming with you."

She shook her head. "Absolutely not. You are going to stay here while I go calm down my mother. I don't want you in the crossfire. If Ric so much as brushed up against you wrong I'd end him."

He said, "The feeling is mutual. Ric has proven that he is unpredictable right now."

Ric's meltdown outside Abby's house was still at the forefront of his mind. He didn't trust the man while he was in the throes of what must be some sort of midlife crisis. Tyler was worried for Bonnie's safety. She never liked to think of herself as delicate but she was at the moment. She was already dealing with complications in her pregnancy. The wrong set of circumstances could trigger a tragedy. Tyler didn't know if Bonnie would recover emotionally from a miscarriage. She already blamed herself for being underweight at the start of her pregnancy.

Bonnie could see the worried look in Tyler's dark eyes. She said, "I promise to keep my distance from Ric. I'm only going to console my mother. Besides, Lucy will be right there. She won't let anything happen to me."

Lucy grinned and said, "I've been waiting for a reason to gut him like a fucking pig. He was born in this house, for all I care he can die here, too. Circle of life and all that…"

Tyler took in a deep breath and nodded. If there was anyone that wouldn't give a damn about gutting a Salvatore under their own roof, it would be Lucy. "Okay…"

The young woman offered him a smile before following Lucy to the main parlor. However, the yelling would have drawn her there without any assistance.

Zacharias was physically holding his older brother back. The blood dripping from Ric's nose proved that Bonnie was already late to the party.

Bonnie asked, "Are you okay, Mama? Did he put his hands on you?"

"I'm the one fucking bleeding here!" he bellowed.

Abby shook loose from Cesare's grip and met her daughter in the middle of the room. "You don't need to involve yourself in this. You've had a hard night…"

"I just wanted to make sure that you are okay, Mama. We don't have to stay here if you are uncomfortable. We have enough people to make sure your house is secure," Bonnie promised. She could see that Abby was shaken by the encounter with Ric.

Damon and Stefan walked into the room. The elder of the two brothers had been on the phone with Elijah Mikaelson when his brother came barrelling into the office. While Damon was trying to ensure peace with one of their allies, Ric was trying to spark a war with the other one. Stefan had already explained the nature of the fight to his older brother.

He walked over to Ric and said, "You're my uncle and I love you. But if you can't chill the fuck out then you're going to have to leave. This will always be your home but I am sure that you can agree that the safety of women and children have to take precedence. Abby swallowed her pride and came here, when this is the last place on Earth she would want to be. Everyone is going to have to make some fucking compromises. Do you think I am thrilled that the little bastard my wife is dating is under my roof? Of course not, but I would rather have Bonnie and my daughter here under my protection than elsewhere."

Zach said, "If Damon can behave like he has some sense than so can you, Ric. Acting like an out of control asshole isn't going to make Abby more inclined to allow you anywhere near her children. The way you are acting, I don't even want you around my kids."

Stefan added, "I second that. Yelling at women and grabbing them is not how I want Nicky and Tony to act with girls. I'm sure you don't want Jamie and Cooper to behave that way either."

Ric glared at everyone for a moment. Finally, he said, "I'm going out. I need a minute…"

Damon said, "Take guards with you."

Ric knew that his nephew's words weren't a request. The boss had just given him an order. He tried not to let that fact further chafe his ass. He'd known since the day Damon was born that this moment would arrive. However, taking orders from his nephew wasn't easy to swallow. He nodded and then swept out of the room.

Damon turned to look at Abby and Bonnie. "I'm sorry about Ric. I didn't expect him to be…"

"Drunk and belligerent at 5 o'clock in the morning," Stefan offered.

Damon nodded and said, "Exactly…"

Abby took a deep breath and said, "Just keep him away from Jamie, please. I...Jamie is scared of him and…"

Damon shook his head. "You don't need to explain the situation, Abby. Jamie has every reason to be afraid of my uncle. I am very sorry that is the case. He's a good kid and he deserves better from Ric. Maybe you two can try to have this conversation again when he is sober. I think we can all agree that Ric loves his kids even if he hasn't always gone about showing it the right way. But that is your decision to make I won't press the issue. It's not my place."

Abby nodded. "Thank you."

Bonnie looked to Lucy. "Take Mama to go look in on the kids, yeah?"

Lucy said, "I bet Gemma is still trying to get Savannah back to sleep. That little girl has iron will."

Abby huffed out a soft laugh as she left the room with Lucy.

Damon shifted his tired gaze to Bonnie. He asked, "Can I have a word with you in my office?"

Bonnie nodded. She was glad that Damon had settled the issue with Alaric so quickly and efficiently. She knew the benefits of being in the Salvatore Manor but she wouldn't put her mother at risk. She certainly wouldn't expose her daughter or siblings to Ric's drunken bouts of rage. Frankly, it was beginning to feel like an excuse for his bad behavior.

The estranged spouses walked to the study in complete silence. They were both still discomfited by the blow up at the hospital. Bonnie and Damon hadn't really had time to discuss it. The cops had bombarded him and Tyler with questions for nearly an hour. Afterwards, Damon and Bonnie had gone their separate ways to check on the state of their families and organizations. Then the news of the attack on Kol Mikaelson's poker game turned everything upside down-again.

Once inside the study, Damon motioned for Bonnie to have a seat. Instead of moving behind his desk, Damon sat beside her. He ran a hand through his dark hair. "We need to talk…"

"I never knew you had such a flair for understatement," Bonnie quipped in soft voice. "I think I should probably go first…"

He inclined his head in her direction and nodded. "Okay."

"I am sorry for threatening you and Zach at the hospital. I am not sorry for threatening Katherine or Alaric, there's no point in starting this conversation with a blatant lie," she explained.

He smiled wryly and said, "I appreciate your honesty. I'm not sure I would have believed your apology otherwise. And I can admit that your initial suspicion was not without cause. I've threatened Tyler more than once in the past. I know my word doesn't mean much to you, but I wouldn't kill him. I see how much he means to you now. I wouldn't want to cause you that sort of pain."

"Thank you," Bonnie replied. She reached for the Saint Christopher's medal around her neck.

He noticed what had become almost a nervous tic for Bonnie. "I actually had a good conversation with Tyler before everything went to hell. I can't say that I'll ever like the idea of the two of you together but I can see his love for you is genuine."

She raised an eyebrow at Damon and asked, "Are you giving me your blessing?"

"Never," he said with a snort.

"Good because I don't need it," she said tartly.

"I'm only saying that you could do worse. You have done worse...with me. Tyler loves you and he's loyal. But he's also worried about you. I understand why you don't trust me with the important things in your life. I haven't exactly proven myself to be someone that you can count on when the going gets tough. But I am worried about you."

Bonnie studied his blue eyes for a long moment. Then she feigned a smile. "I'm fine."

He returned the feigned smile and took Bonnie's free hand. "I think we both know that's a lie, Bunny. You're on edge and I didn't really realize it until I saw your reaction to Tyler being shot. You went from threatening to massacre my entire organization to a sobbing mess in a matter of minutes. That's never been you...not the woman you pretended to be to appease me or the woman that I have been learning that you actually are. I could chalk it all up to hormones but I think that would be short-sighted. I know that I have no right to ask but this isn't a time for secrets between us. There's too much hanging in the balance for misunderstandings."

She considered his appeal and realized that it had merit. Bonnie had no doubt that she would have seriously hurt Damon tonight if Tyler had died. She had been too emotional to listen to his account of what happened. Someone was already trying to pit them against the Mikaelsons.

"I wasn't in the right frame of mind to be out tonight. I should have told you as much when you called about Katherine's overdose," she confessed.

Damon hadn't known if Bonnie would actually open up but he was glad that he had made the effort. He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you. It was selfish of me to ask for your support."

Bonnie shook her head. "It wouldn't have been a big deal if we hadn't already fought earlier in the day. What you almost said in your office, affected me more than you could possibly understand. I...struggled for a long time with what happened to me. I spent most of that time blaming myself for any number of things. I should have fought back. I should have told someone. I never should have allowed myself to be alone with him. I was stupid for accepting his kindness and generosity blindly. The shame I felt for the way my body reacted to his touches still lingers in the dark corners of my mind. This afternoon everything I had worked years to bury came to the surface. I…"

Damon was reminded by the haunted look on Tyler's face outside the hospital. It felt as if there was a block of lead sitting in the pit of his stomach. He had unwittingly caused Bonnie an incalculable amount of pain. Damon had been angry and frustrated. He had never considered the impact Bonnie's trauma still had on her. It occurred to him that she had never actually dealt with the trauma in any sort of healthy way. She just found a way to live with it. Damon was all too familiar with that brand of 'coping'. He buried his painful childhood as deep as possible. When it surfaced, he usually beat some unsuspecting man within an inch of his life. Fortunately, he was in a line of work where that sort of rage could be channeled into something useful.

She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "I was just overwhelmed. Too many things happened in a matter of hours. I'll bury it all deep again and I'll be right as rain."

He ran a hand through his hair and said, "Fuck...I don't know what to say to that. I could apologize but 'I'm sorry' hardly covers what I did to you. I need you to know that I don't actually believe that you wanted that. I am sorry for even putting the shit in your head. You don't deserve what I insinuated. You didn't deserve what that asshole did to you."

"On my good days, I know that. I know that he took advantage of me because I was an easy mark. I know that I didn't do anything wrong because I was a teenager and he was the adult. But today...or rather yesterday wasn't a good day," she replied.

"I am going to sound like a fucking hypocrite but have you considered counseling?" he asked.

Bonnie huffed out a wry laugh. "I want to try counseling but I'm scared. I'm scared if I start picking at the walls I've constructed over the years that it will all start crumbling. I can't have that...not now. Not while the barbarians are at the gates. But I will eventually, if only so I know how to protect our children."

Damon nodded in agreement. Their children were the reason he had made another appointment with Dr. Correa. "Thank you for being honest with me…"

"I kinda owed it to you after threatening to kill you. You could have retaliated against me for the threat alone," she conceded.

He squeezed her hand and said, "I would never hurt you, Bonnie. I couldn't…at least not in the way that you mean."

She nodded and said," Doesn't mean that you couldn't have hurt someone else to make your point."

"True," he agreed. "But I've never wanted to be your enemy and I don't intend to start now. Especially, not while someone is already trying to make waves.

"Tonight was just an overreaction. I was...not myself," she replied guiltily.

Damon caressed her cheek and said, "I know that now. I also know that I haven't handled this situation the right way. I've done the opposite of what you've wanted from the moment you told me the truth. I was obsessed with protecting you and righting the wrong done against you. In the end, I just hurt you more. Which is why I am going to leave it alone...but you have to promise me something."

Bonnie wasn't sure if she should believe Damon. He lied as easily as she did. Tentatively, she said, "Okay…"

"Come to me if this person ever poses a danger to you. I know that you can take care of yourself, but….please. I don't want you to be hurt again. I don't...I'm not trying to lecture you about the nature of men. I know that this life has shown you the very worst that my gender has to offer. I just want you to be cautious around this man. Whatever he's done that makes you want to protect him, he's not innocent. One time could be a misunderstanding, it would be unlikely but plausible. But this wasn't one time. This...coward sought you out repeatedly. He's not to be trusted."

Bonnie swallowed thickly as she studied the serious expression on Damon's face. He had seen through her lie about the man being in prison. He also had the same doubts about Klaus that Tyler did with far less information. She nodded and said, "I promise…."

Damon kissed her forehead and said, "Thank you. I called you in here for another reason. Elijah and I plan to meet in a couple hours over breakfast. I told him that you'd be joining us. I hope you don't mind. Security on the meeting will be tight so we're limited to three people per organization. No weapons…"

Bonnie nodded and said, "Thank you for thinking to include me."

He said, "You're my wife. You are also my partner. It's time that I start acting like it."


	76. More Perfect Union

It hadn't been easy for Bonnie to choose two people to take to the meeting with Elijah and Damon. Her family, both blood and otherwise, didn't trust the Mikaelsons or the Salvatores. However, everyone could agree that the violence visited upon them last night came from outside forces. Elijah could be a cold bastard but he would have never put one of his own brothers in an assassin's crosshairs just to avoid suspicion. Likewise, Damon would be foolish to arrange a drive by shooting to kill Tyler when they were standing next to each other. He certainly wouldn't have sanctioned the use of firearms with such a wide spray pattern. Damon had been lucky to escape the ordeal with only a few cuts from broken glass.

It would surprise no one to know that Tyler wanted to accompany Bonnie. He was still worried about her emotional state. He knew better than most that Bonnie was still in a odd place even after making peace with Damon. However, Tyler knew that he didn't hold a high enough position in the organization to warrant an invitation. Moreover, he was in more pain than he was willing to admit. Ultimately, Bonnie chose Richard and Mason to accompany her. Richard was her consigliere and he had a long history of dealing with both the Salvatore and Mikaelson organizations. Meanwhile, Mason was Bonnie's underboss and he knew the Salvatore organization like the back of his hand. Alaric had been training him to be his eventual replacement.

The meeting was being held at the same restaurant where Bonnie and Elijah had met just yesterday. He had worked out a deal with the owner to close the restaurant to the public for two hours. It gave them enough time to sweep the location for security threats and listening devices. The kitchen staff prepared a modest breakfast buffet and then vacated the restaurant for the duration of the meeting. Guards from their organizations were protecting the building from outside. Elijah wasn't leaving anything to chance. He knew that law enforcement would be watching all three organizations closely for more bloodshed.

In the private dining area, several tables had been pushed together to create one large seating area. Damon had opted to bring Zacharias and Stefan. He would have liked Alaric to be there but he had gotten blackout drunk after leaving the manor. He was just grateful to know that the alcoholic bastard was safe. Ric was being guarded by loyal Salvatore soldiers while he slept off his drunkenness in Lilly's suite. However, that didn't mean Damon was happy that his uncle kept seeking comfort from his estranged mother. Ric kept claiming it was platonic but his nephew knew better. At the end of the day, Ric was a man and worse yet a Salvatore. They took comfort in booze and sex. Ric could get booze anywhere so there was only one explanation for his insistence on seeing Lilly.

Elijah had chosen to bring Vincent and Niklaus to the meeting. Vincent was his outgoing second-in-command. His brother was slowly getting acclimated to the job. However, this was not the time to throw Niklaus into the deep end of the pool. Elijah had enough to worry about with Bonnie joining the meeting. He was worried that Niklaus wouldn't be able to disguise his affection for the young woman. It wasn't so long ago that Damon and Niklaus fought over his inappropriate interest in Bonnie. Fortunately, Damon didn't know just how deep that interest ran for Niklaus. Frankly, it felt as if they were all balancing atop a powder keg while holding sparklers.

Bonnie would have preferred to be flanked by Richard and Mason. It would have made communication easier. However, Damon had suggested that they show a united front by sitting together. She saw the wisdom in the idea and agreed. Bonnie was glad that they had established some sort of fragile truce earlier. She desperately wanted to trust Damon, but he had shown himself to be untrustworthy repeatedly. His only saving grace was his business acumen. Whatever Giuseppe might have been as a man and a father, he was a damn good boss. In turn, he had groomed Damon well to take his place one day. Unfortunately, that day had come sooner than the old man would have liked.

Klaus had been eying Bonnie discreetly from the moment she walked into the room. Despite the fact that no one had gotten any sleep last night, her skin appeared dewy. He also appreciated the light blue camisole that was cut just low enough to be tantalizing without being excessive. She had paired it with a black suit jacket and slacks that had obviously been tailored to fit her like a glove. He had enjoyed seeing the way the tailored slacks hugged her ass as she made her way through the buffet.

Klaus idly moved the food around his plate as he contemplated speaking to Bonnie. However, he didn't know how to do it without arousing suspicion. It wouldn't be good if anyone suspected anything improper about their friendship. He abandoned the idea as Bonnie began speaking to Richard Lockwood as she ate breakfast.

Once everyone was seated at the table, Damon spoke first. "How is Kol doing, Elijah?"

Elijah's expression darkened at the mention of his younger brother. He had so much rage building inside him, but no suitable targets to release it. He said, "One of Kol's kidneys and his spleen had to be removed. His condition is touch and go for now. The surgeon said that the next 48 hours will be crucial."

Bonnie's expression was somber. "I plan to stop by the church after we leave here. I'll be sure to light a candle for Kol."

"Thank you," Elijah said with a nod of his head. He never put much stock in religious ceremony. However, divine intervention might be the only thing to save his younger brother's life.

Klaus made eye contact with Bonnie and asked, "And how is Tyler doing?"

Damon reached for Bonnie's hand under the table and gave it a comforting squeeze. He knew that she was still concerned for Tyler. He was coping with the situation as best as he could.

Bonnie said, "He's in some pain but it's nothing serious."

Elijah nodded in Richard's direction. "At least there is some good news to be had this morning."

The older man nodded somberly. His heart had nearly stopped when he received the call that Tyler had been shot. He knew it was a hazard that came along with the job but it didn't make the reality any easier. He had lost his father and uncle to gangland violence. Their family still hadn't fully recovered from losing Alonzo. At this point, he didn't know if they ever would recover. His father had been a larger than life presence even while serving time in prison.

Damon said, "I believe that it goes without saying that Bonnie and I are not responsible for the attack on Kol."

The head of the Mikaelson family offered a wry smile. "Just as you can rest assured that my organization played no part on the drive by shooting that injured young Tyler Lockwood. Our organizations and families have been allied for too long to resort to this sort of violence without some sort of attempt at mediation."

Zacharias nodded in agreement. "Now that we've established that none of us would be reckless and stupid enough to do something like this...we should discuss who might decide to strike against us."

Elijah said, "Well, the Dezerians are certainly good candidates. We have been involved with squirmises with them since early December. And the body found near the crime scene was a known associate."

Vincent added, "However, the Dezerians do not have the manpower to take over the territory that our organizations' possess. They also do not have powerful enough allies to protect them from the blowback of these failed hits."

Bonnie nodded in agreement. "Arman is still in charge and he has always been a cautious man. He is also a smart man. If he truly wanted to debilitate our organizations, he would have chosen more high value targets. I mean no offense, Elijah…"

Damon was inclined to agree with Bonnie's assessment of Arman. However, he wondered how she even knew that about him. Was it information she had received from Richard or had she actually met Arman previously?

He smiled at the girl and replied, "None was taken, Bonnie. You're right. Kol isn't exactly a high value target. He is the fourth born son and does not occupy a particularly important position in our organization."

"The same can be said for Tyler. My obvious affection for him aside, he's only just took the helm of his own crew. And while I don't doubt Damon's reflexes, it doesn't seem as if he was the target. There are more efficient ways to whack him," she said.

Zacharias added, "However, that does bring to mind a question that has been bothering me. How did the shooters know where to find Tyler and Damon? Under normal circumstances they would have been home under heavy guard. They were only at the hospital because Katherine overdosed. We have our best people pulling surveillance from the Rischard to see if anyone suspicious was caught on camera. There is also the chance that Damon could have a tail that our security failed to detect."

The young woman pursed her lips because she had pursued that same line of thought with Lucy. Currently, they had people keeping an eye on Katherine's ICU room. Someone could have tricked or forced her into taking an overdose. Or she could be in cahoots with some outside force. If Damon was telling the truth, she couldn't be pleased with his continued rejections. Desperate people could be pushed to extreme measures.

Damon motioned for his younger brother to speak. He had debated if it was wise to bring Stefan. The younger man had no experience in meetings like this. However, Stefan had been looking for a way to step up for months. Since Alaric was going around the bend, this was the perfect time to test Stefan's mettle.

Stefan was shocked that Damon was actually going to let him contribute. He quickly said, "Our sources in the police department found the car used in the shooting about an hour ago. It's little more than a burned out husk now. They're not optimistic about pulling anything of value from it. However, we have our tech people hacking surveillance footage all over the city. They're trying to piece together the car's route. It's slow work but so far we know they came out of Ladera Heights. That is where they stole the car for the driveby."

Vincent said, "We have a similar situation with the attack at Kol's poker game. The car was stolen from Ladera Heights."

Bonnie's eyes widened at that. "The Dezerians wouldn't have any friends in Ladera Heights. They certainly wouldn't want to risk getting caught out there."

Damon snorted and said, "I don't even have any friends in Ladera Heights."

Elijah agreed, "Nor I…"

Bonnie said, "But I do. I'll reach out to Mama Ruby and see if she knows anything about the Dezerians or anyone unfamiliar lurking within the borders of her territory."

Klaus raised an eyebrow as he scrutinized Bonnie. She looked beautiful as always. However, he could see the exhaustion she was trying to mask. "You're acquainted with the Queen of the Heights?"

"She and my grandmother were good friends. In fact, it was Grams' intervention that stopped Mikael and Giuseppe from taking control of the Heights when they were carving up Southern California thirty years ago."

Klaus snorted and said, "That seems incredibly benevolent and unlike either of our fathers. The Heights' proximity to LA makes it a prime location. I can't imagine either of them surrendering that area without proper compensation."

Elijah agreed wholeheartedly with his brother. He had been fairly young during the mob war that had eventually set the current boundaries for their territories. He never knew how Ruby Hayes managed to keep her slice of the pie. When he came of age, Mikael had only told him to leave the old 'bitch' alone. Their organization stayed out of the Heights where they were not welcome.

Damon looked at his wife pointedly. He had come to learn that Sheila had exerted a great deal of power over Giuseppe. His father had been in love with her despite the disturbing abuse in their relationship. He had never been blind to her machinations, even if he didn't know the true depth of her deception. However, he didn't understand why Mikael would have agreed to such an arrangement. He had always respected the Bennett matriarch but he wouldn't have bent to her whims as easily as Giuseppe did.

"Grams knew that Mama Ruby wouldn't take kindly to two white boys trying to control her territory. She certainly wouldn't have been willing to kick up to them. Your fathers would have had to pry the Heights from her cold dead hands...and they would have. She wouldn't have been the only person to resist them after the war ended. Mama Ruby was just fortunate to have a good friend in the right place at the right time."

Richard nodded and suppressed his proud smile. He was glad that Bonnie had been a dutiful student of their organization's history. Grudges and loyalty ran deep in their business. It was always best to know who you were dealing with. He said, "Giuseppe and Mikael owed Sheila's family a debt of gratitude. At the two-year mark, the war looked like it might never end. All sides were taking heavy losses and the feds were breathing down everyone's neck. It might have dragged on even longer if the car bombing hadn't occurred. Sheila and Abby were almost killed by that explosion. Sheila's cousin had enough of the war at that point and flew over from Milazzo to end it."

Damon's eyebrows rose to his hairline. He said, "The hit after Banner's funeral. That was Big John?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Wrong cousin...it was my aunt, Fiammetta. The move crippled your enemies and helped spark a swift end to the war. Grams suggested her cut of the territory should be bigger since our organization ended the stalemate. They agreed to give her Ladera Heights and a few other desirable areas. It was her discretion what to do with the territories. She let Mama Ruby keep control of the Heights as a gesture of friendship. The point is...Mama Ruby will be receptive to meeting with me. I'll let everyone know what I learn."

Klaus smirked as he realized that Bonnie had learned her tactics from Sheila. He was certain that this friendship with Mama Ruby entailed more than she was revealing.

Elijah nodded in her direction. "Thank you. Anything we can find out about the shooters is important. Our objective has to be locating them before the police do."

Damon said, "We also need to speak to all agree that he isn't a likely culprit but someone obviously wants to push us in that direction. Could be someone in his own organization or a rival that wants to weaken him."

"He won't leave his territory. He has to know by now that we suspect him. He's very plugged into everything happening down here. It's the reason he started making moves once Giuseppe was on the run," Bonnie commented.

Klaus grinned viciously. "I'd love to pay him a visit."

She returned his grin because she understood the impulse. She wanted someone to pay for hurting Tyler. Making someone suffer would be satisfying right now. Bonnie said, "I'm sure you would, Nik. But you've killed quite a few of his men recently for infringing on your territory. I doubt Arman would be receptive to meeting with you."

Stefan's eyes volleyed between Klaus and Bonnie. Something in their interaction discomfited him. Klaus' eyes seemed to linger on her but that wasn't unusual. He had gotten used to men admiring Bonnie's beauty years ago. There was a familiarity there that didn't seem to make sense to him. However, that familiarity seemed to be mutual. Stefan had been around the Mikaelson family enough to know his nickname was reserved for them. He supposed it was possible that Niklaus had insisted that Bonnie call him 'Nik' once they struck up a business partnership.

Zacharias said, "We've been occupied with other things as of late and you've handled the issues up north. We can send a couple people up there to speak with Arman. He might be more willing to speak with us. If he isn't actively trying to murder us...let's not give him a reason to change his mind."

Elijah and Vincent conferred for a few minutes and then agreed. "We can agree to that."

Damon looked at his uncle. "Do you have any suggestions? And don't suggest yourself because I'm not sending my consigliere into the lion's den."

Zacharias smiled at his nephew. "No, I was thinking that we would send Senior and his crew."

The younger man took a moment to consider his uncle's suggestion. The Donovans had been proving their worth lately. They were the ones that captured Giuseppe and brought Victor home safely. They were also rising in the organization to fill the positions once held by the traitorous Lockwood family.

He nodded at his uncle and said, "Call him as soon as we leave here. Tell him to take the jet. I want him in front of Arman before lunch. We need to clear the Dezerians so that we can move on to more promising suspects."

Bonnie and Richard exchanged a brief look. The Donovans were one of their few assets that remained embedded in the Salvatore organization. Damon wasn't likely to suspect them of treachery. Afterall, they were relatives. However, Domenico had alienated their cousins long ago and Giuseppe had done little to repair the damage. It also helped that Bonnie was pregnant with the heir to the Salvatore organization. In a few months, she would be giving birth to their cousin and future boss.

Zacharias said, "I think that leads us to the next thing on the agenda...our enemies. If the Dezerians are being used as pawns, then we need to figure out who is controlling the board. Have we had trouble with our other rivals recently?"

Bonnie shook her head. "We've had a few flare ups near our borders but nothing that would rise to this. Things have heated up with the Trujillos since my deal with Nik but this isn't their style."

Klaus' expression twisted into something ugly. "I've known Esai a long time. He knows that I would disembowel him for getting in my way."

Elijah went tense after hearing the intensity in his brother's voice. He knew it was because someone, however indirectly, posed a threat to Bonnie. His affection for the girl was too close to the surface.

Vincent hummed and said, "The Trujillos haven't been pleased that you will be washing Niklaus' money. However, I've had several productive conversations with Esai and Gael. I have assured them that Elijah will still have need of their laundering services. But it wouldn't hurt to touch base with them again. I'll see to it personally."

"And I will join you," Klaus said.

Vincent nodded in acceptance. Niklaus would be taking his job soon enough. It was time to stop holding him back or he would never be truly ready for the position.

Damon said, "Markos and his crew have been quieter than normal. It might be a good idea to see what's going on with him."

Zacharias said, "We'll get eyes on his place this afternoon."

Elijah scowled because perhaps that was the key. Maybe they shouldn't be looking for suspects that were outwardly agitated. The culprits could be those that had been waiting quietly in the shadows for the perfect time to strike. He said, "The Martels have been similarly quiet. I expected some pushback when Klaus took over the territory bordering their area. Afterall Tristan and Klaus despise each other."

Klaus scowled at the mention of Tristan.

Elijah looked at Vincent and said, "It might be wise to speak with the Martels, too."

Damon lifted an eyebrow. The Martels couldn't he happy that Klaus was out of prison. Giuseppe had used Klaus' predicament as a cautionary tale. As if Damon didn't have a box a condoms with him at all times. He certainly wouldn't have made that particular mistake with the daughter of a powerful man like Anton de Martel. "Didn't Klaus knock up Aurora?"

Klaus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Their families had kept the situation quiet. However, it seemed that they hadn't kept it quiet enough for his liking. He chanced a glance at Bonnie. He had told her about his failed relationship with Aurora. "That was a very long time ago…"

Bonnie shot him a sympathetic look. Aurora's parents had forced her to get an abortion. She knew Niklaus was haunted by the abortion. It made learning about Hope's true paternity hurt even more. Mikael had cruelly told Klaus that no one would be willing to bear his children. Certainly, no one would ever allow him to raise a child for fear he or she would turn out like him. Those words had cut Klaus to his core because he believed them.

Elijah glanced at his brother to check on him. He was glad to see that Klaus seemed to be in control of his emotions.

Zacharias tried to defuse the situation quickly. He said, "We'd be here all day if we start listing the enemies you've made with your cock, Nipote."

It should have come to no one's surprise that Bonnie and the Lockwoods were the only people in the room that didn't find Zach's barb amusing. In fact, Mason openly glared at him and Damon.

Damon clutched Bonnie's hand tighter beneath the table in silent apology. He knew Zach only made the joke to cover for Damon putting his foot in his mouth. He and Klaus had an adversarial relationship. This was hardly the time to provoke the foul tempered man. He had not realized that Aurora would be a sore subject for Klaus.

"We could be here for days if we started listing Damon's conquests, I'm pretty sure he fucked at least one of my nannies," Bonnie added with a smirk.

Everyone chuckled again because it was certainly believable. It was also a fairly common offense in their world.

Klaus stared at Bonnie's eyes and realized the smirk was disingenuous.

Damon shifted in his seat because of course he had fucked Bonnie's nanny. He had fucked a couple of Stefan's nannies, too. The age gap between the brothers meant that Damon was sexually active for years before Stefan stopped needing a full-time caretaker. No one sane would think that Damon would have been able to resist the allure of young beautiful women.

Elijah smiled and said, "Now that we've established that my brother and Damon spent their misbegotten youth bedding beautiful women...is there anything else that we need to address?"

All the major players consulted with their subordinates before deciding that they were done for now.

Damon said, "I'm sure it goes without saying that we will keep each other in the loop during our inquiries."

Elijah nodded and said, "Of course. We're in this together as we have been for the last thirty years, Damon. And I am grateful that my organization's ties to yours have recently been strengthened, Bonnie. I look forward to working with you both for years to come."

Everyone stood from their seats and shook hands. There would be peace between them but someone would soon regret attracting their collective ire. There was a reason people said it was best to not to awaken a sleeping giant.

Bonnie caught Klaus' eye and they stepped away from the group. "I talked to my father. This situation doesn't affect your first shipment unless you need a few days to regroup…"

He shook his head. "No, I have everything in place. I don't want to delay getting the product out on the street. There are more eyes on me but I know how to be cautious."

"Truly? I didn't think cautious was in your repertoire." Bonnie went quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry about Damon's joke. He didn't realize how in poor taste it was…"

Klaus said, "You don't need to apologize for his stupid comments. Anyway, Damon had no way of knowing it would be such a sore spot for me. His comments weren't malicious. How are you? I am sure Zach's attempt to smooth things over didn't feel good."

Bonnie laughed softly. "What Damon does with his cock is hardly my concern."

He nodded but knew that she was lying to him. Klaus only hoped that she wasn't lying to herself, too.

She said, "If you need anything...don't hesitate to reach out, Nik. I mean it."

"I was just going to the say the same to you," he replied. His eyes flickered over to Damon for a moment.

"I'll keep that in mind," Bonnie replied. "I'll see you around, Nik."

Damon looked up as Bonnie made her way over to him. He took her hand and walked out the restaurant. He said, "I was hoping you would ride back to the Manor with me."

She glanced at Richard and could see that he was vehemently against the idea. She smiled and said, "I need you to call Mama Ruby. I need to meet with her as soon as possible, Uncle Richie."

He walked over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'll get it done."

"Also, make sure the farm is ready just in case we need to get our families out of the city," Bonnie advised him quietly.

"It's already in the works," he replied with a small smile.

Mason pulled Bonnie's purse from the car and handed it to her. She left it behind during the meeting.

"Thanks, Mason." Bonnie followed Damon over to his car and they both climbed into the back.

Zacharias and Stefan climbed into the front seat and soon they were on the road. Zach turned on the radio to give the couple some privacy.

Damon looked at Bonnie and asked, "Are we okay?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" she asked.

He sighed and said, "I thought we were turning over a new leaf. Let's not beat around the bush. You were upset. You returned Zach's serve with gusto."

She said, "In my defense, you did fuck my nanny. If we're being honest, it's probably more than just the one that I know about. As for my reply, either you're in on the joke or you are the joke. I was in no mood to be the butt of a joke about your promiscuous nature."

He smiled wryly. "So you reminded everyone that I was an unrepentant whore before we got married."

She smiled in return. "Now you've got it."

Damon's curiosity got the best of him. He asked, "How'd you even know that I slept with one of your nannies? That can't be the sort of thing that your grams would have told you."

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders. "I was a nosey kid that loved listening to conversations that weren't any of my business. I overheard Grams firing Ramona. And she wasn't the first or last nanny to abruptly leave my family's employ."

He looked chagrined at his past behavior. "I had a very active libido."

"Had?" she asked with a snort of disbelief.

"I have been celibate for well over a month," he huffed.

Bonnie shook her. "I still don't know why you're doing that. You know that I'm with Tyler. And even if I weren't...we're never getting back together."

"Who said this had anything to do with you? I have enough going on in my life. I don't need to add to it by fucking someone. It's come to my attention that casual sex relationships aren't as casual as I thought they were."

She huffed out a laugh. "You can't believe that Katherine was anything resembling casual."

He had to agree with Bonnie there. "I wasn't talking about her."

"Oh? Did the weather girl not take it well when you ended things?" she asked.

Damon winced and said, "Andi is an anchor. But, no, she did not take the news well. She called me a string of things that would get her fined by the FCC if said them on the air."

She awkwardly patted him on the arm and said, "Sorry, buddy."

He saw that she was trying to hold in a laugh. "Go ahead...yuck it up. I could have a real problem. I could be a sex addict!"

"You're an alcoholic for sure. You're a former cokehead. But you are not a sex addict. You're just a whore. God gave you two hands and the internet. You'll survive somehow."

"Fuck you," he said jokingly.

Bonnie lifted an eyebrow at him and said, "Never again."

Damon eyed her a moment and said, "They say that you should never say never."

"Well, _they_ lied," she said with a chuckle. "Is Ric a sex addict, too?"

"What? Why would you ask that?"

"Just trying to figure out what his excuse is for fucking your mother," Bonnie said with innocent wide eyes.

Damon groaned and asked, "How do you know that?"

"I have my people keeping tabs on Ric. I like to know when he is anywhere near my mother or siblings. Apparently, he's been seen going to Lilly's hotel a lot…"

Zach caught his nephew's eyes in the rearview mirror.

Damon shook his head. "No, I think he's just self-destructive."

She chuckled, "Well, he's doing a great job of it." Bonnie went quiet for a minute and then said, "All joking aside. If you're doing this celibate thing to get your shit together, then I support you 100%. But if you are holding out some sort of hope for a reconciliation...don't. I love you and we're always going to be family, but that's all."

He confessed. "It's a little of both. I'm not willing to give up hope, Bunny. I still refuse to believe that there is anyone in the world more right for you than I am."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're a stubborn son of a bitch, Damon Salvatore. I could have used some of this desire when I actually wanted to be your wife."

"I know...my timing is a little fucked up," he muttered against her hair.

"A little?"

"Okay...a lot," he replied. "I don't know how to stop loving you or wanting you. The more I get to know you the more I want you."

Bonnie snorted and said, "You want me now that you realize that I am this close to being completely unhinged."

Damon hissed, "Yes. It's nice knowing that you are walking as fine a line as I am every fucking day. Do you know how hard I have to work to avoid turning into Giuseppe? It is a war I've been fighting every day of my adult life...hell probably even before that. My natural instinct is to destroy every fucking thing around me."

She closed her eyes a moment because that was her instinct, too. She whispered, "Me, too. It's why I go to church so often. I know I'm going to hell but I need something to keep me from going over the edge. Something to stop me from being a thing I couldn't stand to live as…"

He kissed the top of her head because he understood the impulse. Church never worked for him but drinking, drugs, and fucking had. It kept the beast quiet more often than not. "I know the smart thing to do is to have a nice calm conversation with Arman. But I really want to beat him to death with my bare hands. Not because I think he's guilty but because I need an outlet and he's fucking expendable."

She hummed in agreement. "I think I'd go serrated knife to the gut. Let him bleed out slowly. There is something cathartic about witnessing someone else's agony."

Damon licked his lips and tried to ignore how much he really liked her cruel streak. He said, "You really have an affinity for knives, huh?"

"Grams said if you can't feel your enemies' blood on your hands you're doing something wrong. She taught me how to use a knife before I learned to use a gun," she admitted.

"When did she start teaching you how to use knives?"

"I was about 12 years old. It wasn't long after I found a dead body in our house. That was pretty much the end of my childhood as I knew it."

Damon said, "This is in no way meant to be disrespectful to your grandmother but I don't want our kids learning how to kill that early in life."

"Grams didn't start off teaching me to kill. It was self-defense. We lived in a dangerous world and she wanted to know I wouldn't be helpless. You can make every attempt to keep your kids safe but...there are no guarantees. If I had followed my grandmother's advice, I could have gutted Giuseppe like a fish when he came after me. Since that night, I'm never without a blade of some kind. Well, the meeting we just left being the exception."

He closed his eyes for a moment as he thought about what Giuseppe had done to Bonnie. "I want you to know that he suffered. I made him suffer for all of us."

"Good. If anyone deserved to suffer it was Giuseppe Salvatore," she replied softly.

He nodded.

Bonnie said, "You know my dad told me that Mama used to help him with some of his jobs when they were first married."

His eyebrows rose at that. "Hell of a way to bond with your new bride…"

She chuckled softly, "My parents are...unconventional."

"That's one way to describe them. Are you suggesting that we kill someone together to bond?"

"No. I don't….maybe," she replied.

Damon hummed in thought. "Arman?"

She laughed and said, "Not Arman, unless he's responsible for this debacle. However, I doubt he had any involvement in this. Arman is not what I would call an ambitious man."

"Maybe that weaselly fuck cousin of his."

"Davit?" she asked.

He nodded. "Davit is a jealous bastard that thinks he'd be better suited to the role of boss. If I was Arman, I would have already whacked him."

Bonnie said, "I would, too. Maybe we'll get to call Davit."

"Do you want to go to the shooting range?" he asked.

She asked, "Are pregnant women allowed to go to the shooting range?"

"I don't know...I didn't think that idea through," he said with a frown.

"I'll call Cole and ask him," Bonnie said. She took out her phone and called her concierge doctor.


	77. Protecting the Innocent

Bonnie managed to stay 48 hours at the Salvatore Manor before beating a hasty retreat. Damon had been on his best behavior but the house set her nerves on edge. The massive fortress was a reminder of her former imprisonment. It felt as if Giuseppe's ghost still lurked around every corner. Abby and Jamie were anxious but for very different reasons. Ultimately, the young woman decided that the added security wasn't worth the added stress. Instead she retreated to the safety and comfort of her mother's home. A rotating crew of 10 armed men were stationed at the house day and night.

The hunt for the would-be assassins was going only marginally better. Mama Ruby came through with the address to an abandoned house the men might have been using to lay low. Apparently, one of her grandsons had been running a little side business under her nose. Unfortunately, two of the three men were already dead from heroin overdoses when Bonnie's people arrived. The third had suffered an overdose but Cole was able to resuscitate him. A quick search of the men's criminal records proved that they were only tangentially linked to the Dezerians. Once the survivor was lucid, he confessed to being hired through a third party. They were paid in cash and given their marching orders via burner phones. None of the men had ever met the person or persons that hired them. The only name he'd been able to provide was the underworld matchmaker that brokered the deal, Maksims.

Maksims was a well known figure in the criminal underworld. He lived a lavish life and had many friends. He operated independently and all the major organizations gave him a wide berth. Ultimately, people like Maksims were necessary in their world. Sometimes a boss needed to pull a high-risk job or a hit that would be disastrous if traced back to their organization. For a hefty sum, Maksims would hire the personnel necessary for the job and arrange all the minor details. He also passed along any important messages between the two parties. He had been operating in Southern California for over twenty years. However, that would all be coming to an end if he had been stupid enough to side against the Salvatore, Mikaelson, and Bennett organizations. Sadly, he wasn't stupid enough to stay in the country once everything went sideways. He had already cleared out of his place in Malibu by the time they arrived. He was in the wind for now but they were hot on his trail.

It had been nearly a week since the night of the shooting but everything was still in shambles. Family drama currently had the young woman on edge. Bonnie was not in favor of Jamie spending a single second with Alaric. She did not trust the drunken asshole. Alas, the decision was not in her hands. Honestly, Abby didn't feel as if she had very much choice in the matter either. The degenerate drunk had retained the services of a highly recommended family law attorney. The attorney had already filed a paternity suit in family court for each of Ric and Abby's children. Soon enough a judge would order Abby to provide DNA samples for Jamie, Cooper, and Savannah. Once Ric was determined to be their biological father, he would press to have his parental rights recognized by the state of California.

Ric promised to spare everyone the stress of a family court proceeding if Abby would agree to work out some sort of agreement. She agreed to meet him at the Rischard to talk. Hours later Abby returned defeated and withdrawn. She had agreed to weekly visits with all three children. She had reluctantly agreed after thinking about Jamie and Cooper having to testify in court. Jamie had been devastated by the news. He had no interest in having a relationship with Ric. He was afraid of his father's temper and no one could fault him for that. Jamie didn't understand why he had to see Ric but Josie and Lizzie could refuse visits with him. Unfortunately, the girls were a few years older than he was. A family court judge would take their wishes into consideration when weighing custody matters.

For the first visit, Ric decided to spend time alone with Jamie. He felt they needed to work out some of their conflict without Cooper and Savannah's presence. Before Ric arrived to pick up Jamie, Bonnie told him to call if he was ever afraid or just wanted to leave. She promised to pick him up no questions asked. She didn't feel good or even right in interfering in this contentious situation. However, her brother's well-being superseded everything else. She was perfectly fine with making Alaric go missing. It would be simple enough to do with tensions as high as they were. His death could be blamed on the persons that seemed bound and determined to torpedo the alliance that kept much of the West Coast within the grasp of the Salvatore, Mikaelson, and Bennett families.

Bonnie tried not to worry about her brother as she read to Sarah. She had chosen a favorite book from her own childhood, _Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing_ , to read to her little girl. Sarah was as in love with the story as Bonnie had been at her age. What was supposed to be one chapter a night had turned into three. Soon she would have to buy the sequel, _Super Fudge_ , because Sarah would certainly want to know what happened next.

Sarah stifled a yawn a placed a hand on Bonnie's arm. "I'm sleepy, Mama."

She smiled softly and marked their place in the book. She placed a kiss atop Sarah's head and said, "We'll start again tomorrow night. Sleep tight, bambolina. I'll see you in the morning. I love you."

"I love you too, Mama," Sarah replied as she snuggled further into her bed.

Bonnie placed the book on Sarah's nightstand and then turned off the lamp. She quietly crept out the bedroom and headed downstairs to check on Abby. She was sure her mother was on pins and needles waiting for Jamie to come home.

She walked into the living room but frowned only seeing Lucy, Brady, and Tyler. She lifted an eyebrow at her cousin and asked, "Where is Mama?"

"Cris has her in the gym beating the hell out of that heavy bag. I forgot that Abby has hands. Remind me never to square up with her," Lucy said seriously.

Bonnie thought darkly that her father was partially responsible for Abby's 'hands'. Her mother had always been deadly with knives and guns. However, she didn't start learning to fight until after Rudy started abusing her.

She was about to make her way to the gym when her phone vibrated. Bonnie took it out of her pocket and read the new text message.

 **Jamie: 911.**

Bonnie felt her blood run cold at the simple message. Her mind raced to a dozen horrible possibilities. However, she knew one thing for certain, if that son of a bitch had laid a hand on Jamie she was going to kill him. She would proudly tell Damon to kiss her black ass on the matter, too. His uncles might have sat around like cowards and let Giuseppe beat the shit out of him but she wasn't cut from that type of cloth.

 **Bonnie: Where r u?**

 **Jamie: Idk**

 **Jamie: A gym**

 **Bonnie: I'm on my way. What happened?**

 **Jamie: Something bad**

She looked at Tyler and said, "We're leaving now."

Lucy tensed at the steel in her younger cousin's voice. "What's wrong?"

"This isn't business...it's personal. I'll handle it," Bonnie ground out.

Lucy immediately knew what she meant. She knew that Bonnie had told Jamie to reach out if there was trouble. Frankly, she had been concerned that Ric hadn't returned Jamie yet. Her dark eyes grew darker. "Oh fuck that. If that motherfucker has done anything to my cousin I'll cut his fucking heart out."

Bonnie said, "Well, let's go. I have a bad feeling, Luce. And I have all night."

Brady grunted as he stood up. His ribs were still killing him but he wasn't about to let two pissed off Bennett women ride off on their own. He knew that they were both willing and able to kill Ric. While he wouldn't be sad to see the drunk asshole die, it could cause problems when they were already on the precipice of war. Brady knew that he wasn't much of a peacemaker but he could call his older brother. Richard had an impressive level of self-control. How else had he been able to work side-by-side with Giuseppe for years without putting a bullet in his head?

Lucy asked, "Are we telling Abby what's happening?"

"Tell me what?" Abby asked. She was wiping sweat from her forehead. Her muscles ached from the exertion but it was temporarily masking the other pain plaguing her.

Bonnie frowned. "I don't want you to worry…"

She raised an eyebrow and said,"That's not the way to get me not to worry, baby girl. What's wrong?"

Tyler and Brady sidled out the room and headed to the car.

She said, "Earlier, I told Jamie to call me if he needed me. I just got a 911 text from him. I don't know what's happening but I'm going to pick him up. He said they were at a gym, I have to assume it's Peppe's."

Abby's heart began to race. She said, "Go get him. I am going to stay here and calm down. I should have just let that stupid son of a bitch take me to court. I never should have trusted him with Jamie."

Bonnie shook her head. "Don't you dare blame yourself for Ric's bullshit. You didn't want Jamie to have to get up in court and tell everyone that he witnessed his old man abusing you. You were trying to do the right thing for everyone."

Abby hugged her daughter but her words offered little comfort. "Go bring my baby home."

"It's going to be okay, Mama," she promised.

She nodded nervously.

Bonnie walked outside and climbed into the idling car. She said, "They're at Peppe's gym."

Brady nodded and peeled out of the driveway. "Maybe we should call my big brother."

Tyler glanced at his uncle in surprise. Brady was usually in favor of a good whacking. However, even he realized how precarious this situation was. He said, "Brady has a point…"

Bonnie asked, "You don't think that I can be diplomatic?"

Tyler took a deep breath and looked over the seat to meet her eyes. "About your brother? Not for a single moment and no one would expect you to be. There's nothing I wouldn't do for my sister."

She bit back a smile at Tyler's honesty. She was glad to have people in her life that wouldn't constantly blow smoke up her ass. Sometimes she needed someone to let her know that she was going off the deep end. She nodded, "Call Uncle Richie but I'm not waiting on him to show up."

Brady chuckled, "Dick will drive like a bat out of hell to beat us there. He's closer to Peppe's than we are anyway."

Tyler took out his phone and sent a text to his father and Mason for good measure. Mason had a good rapport with Ric. He had been the man's protege for years. Tyler hoped that some of the camaraderie still existed or Ric might die tonight.

Lucy sat beside Bonnie and squeezed her hand. "Jamie is going to be fine. We're going to get him home and smother him with love and affection. He's going to be sick of seeing our faces."

"You know that I've been thinking about this entire debacle. Maybe Grams had the right idea sending my father away. I mean he's obviously a different man than he was eighteen years ago. I couldn't imagine going through this as a child. It was enough putting up with Giuseppe. At least I felt safe in that situation. I trusted that Grams would keep me safe from him. And she did, Giuseppe never raised a hand to me until well after her death."

Lucy sighed because she hated how all this effected Bonnie. The girl had enough to weather without ghosts from Christmas past haunting her. Yet the parallels were too obvious to ignore. She said, "I was just a kid when Abby divorced Rudy. But she spent some time in Miami before going to home to Milazzo. She was...broken. I'd never seen my big cousin that way and I've never seen her that way since. I don't think we will ever know just what Rudy did to Abby but your Grams did right by you. A man that would savagely beat his own wife isn't the type of man that I would ever trust with a child."

"Do you think I made the wrong choice? He's been invaluable to me lately but…"

Lucy said, "You're a grown woman now. He's no danger to you. You're old enough to decide when and how you deal with Rudy. Besides, Abby was the one to call him out here because you needed him. My granny says that people are capable of changing, if given enough time. Rudy had eighteen years to work out his shit. You have to admit that he and Abby are getting along."

Bonnie hummed in agreement. She said, "I guess I am just thinking about what I'm asking Mama to sacrifice for me. I don't...I don't need her to put herself in a bad position for me like she had to for Jamie."

The older woman's eyebrows went up at that. "Just what did she have to sacrifice for Jamie?"

"I don't know. Mama was just so upset when she came home from meeting with Alaric. I...she wouldn't open her door to talk to me. Then she pretended as if everything was normal when she did come out her room. It has left me with an uneasy feeling for days, Lucy," she said softly.

Lucy was worried now, too. She hadn't been at the house when Abby returned from seeing Ric. She had been occupied with Klaus. He wanted to do a dry run to see how cleaning his money would work. Klaus had used the cash from Kol's poker game for the test run. Lucy had led him step by step through the process of how the money was cleaned. He had been pleased with the results but it had taken most of her day. When she returned, the mood in the house had been subdued. Lucy had assumed it was because Jamie was so upset about the outcome of Abby and Ric's meeting.

She squeezed her hand. "If you're really worried about Abby, I'll sic Uncle Gianni on her. You know they've always been as thick as thieves. If something is wrong he will sort her out."

"Maybe," Bonnie said softly.

Brady whipped into the mostly empty parking lot of Peppe's. Ric's car was the only one in the lot. It looked like his brother had not driven fast enough to meet them. He found a parking space and killed the engine. "Do we have a plan?"

Bonnie said, "Yes, we're going to go in there to get my brother. I am going to try really hard not to slit Alaric's fucking throat."

Tyler shrugged and said, "It's the best plan we have."

She climbed out the car and marched up to the gym's entrance. She tried the doors and found them unlocked despite the late hour. Bonnie walked into the gym and went in search of Jamie and Ric.

Lucy was hot on her cousin's heels. It took all her willpower to keep her gun holstered. Whacking Ric in front of Jamie would be traumatizing. She didn't want to cause the boy more pain and distress. His year was off to a terrible start.

Bonnie walked around a set of boxing rings and stuttered to a stop at the scene in front of her.

Alaric was sprawled out on the floor in a puddle of blood.

Jamie was standing beside him with a gun in his trembling hands. He was pointing it directly at Bonnie.

Tyler quickly moved in front of Bonnie to shield her. He didn't think Jamie would hurt her on purpose, but a gun could go off at anytime in untrained hands.

However, Bonnie was having none of that. Her baby brother was terrified. She wasn't going to hide behind Tyler. She took a deep breath and stepped from behind him. She held her hand out and said, "Jamie, I need you to put the gun down, baby. Can you do that for me? Just put it on the floor so no one gets hurt. Okay?"

Lucy's heart was racing as she tried to make sense of what happened. Jamie was a child still. There was no way he could have murdered Alaric. Then again her eyes spotted a fresh bruise on his cheek. Maybe Ric had pushed her cousin too far. He was already afraid of his father, maybe he felt the need to protect himself.

Jamie's hand trembled but he slowly moved his finger away from the trigger. Then he placed the gun on the floor next to Ric.

Bonnie raced across the room and folded him into a hug. She glanced at Ric but couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. "It's okay. Sissy is here now. I'm right here."

Jamie buried his face against Bonnie and let out a ragged sob. His entire body shook and as cried.

Bonnie's heart broke into a million pieces hearing her brother cry. She felt helpless and off kilter. Bonnie didn't know how to help or comfort him. She didn't even understand what had happened here.

Brady walked to Ric and crouched beside him. He took his pulse and said, "He's still alive...barely."

Tyler and Lucy split up to search the rest of the gym with their guns drawn. They couldn't take the risk of being caught off guard.

Bonnie pulled back and looked into Jamie's hazel eyes. "What happened here, baby? You can tell me anything. Okay? I'll always protect you."

Jamie just looked at Bonnie helplessly and buried his face into her chest again. He shook his head unwilling to speak.

She closed her eyes and willed her heart to slow down. This was no time to panic. She needed to make decisive decisions not only for her brother but for her family. There was a chance her brother had shot Ric. It was also possible that he was merely a traumatized witness. Bonnie wouldn't know the truth of the matter until Jamie felt safe enough to talk.

Bonnie stepped back again and said, "Look at me."

Jamie looked up at Bonnie shakily.

"I need you to go take a shower. You scrub the best you've ever scrubbed in your life or I swear I'll send Lucy in after you. Do you understand me?"

He blinked but then nodded slowly.

"Go. Go do it now," Bonnie ordered. "I'll be waiting right here for you."

Jamie stumbled and tracked blood as he walked through the gym.

Tyler and Lucy returned. He said, "The gym is clear we're the only ones here."

Lucy asked, "What the fuck happened here?"

"I don't know. Jamie isn't talking and we need to get the fucking ball rolling before someone else learns what happened here. I want our best cleaners here. This entire place needs to be spotless when they are done. Nothing tying my brother to this shit can ever be found."

Brady stood up with a grunt. "I'm on it."

Lucy nodded at Ric's body.

"He's alive for now. Get Cole on the phone...we keep him alive for a little longer. At least until I figure out what the fuck to tell Damon," she replied.

Tyler took out his phone and called his cousin.

Bonnie looked at Lucy. "I need you to get into that office and find the security cameras. I don't think I've ever noticed any inside the gym. But I know they monitor the parking lot and entrances. I want a copy of the footage and then destroy the hard drive if it implicates Jamie in anyway."

Lucy squeezed her arm. "We're going to take care of this. It'll be like it never happened."

She watched Lucy walk away. "And clothes! Find some clothes for Jamie. I told him to go shower. He's going to need to put on something."

"They've got promotional shorts and t-shirts all over this place. I'll find something in his size. I'll do that first before tackling the surveillance footage."

Bonnie stood over Alaric's body and counted the bullet holes. She saw three poorly placed shots. Whoever did this was a rank amateur. However, the blood loss would probably kill Ric the quickest. She muttered, "Shit."

She grabbed some towels that were placed near the boxing ring and then kneeled on the floor. She started putting pressure on Ric's wounds to stem the blood flow.

Ric groaned in pain and his eyes flickered open. He stared up at her in confusion.

"Who did this to you?" Bonnie demanded roughly.

He licked his lips. "Wh-ere? Wh-ere is Jamie?"

She snapped, "Don't worry about my brother. He's fine. I need to know who tried to kill you." Bonnie tried to rein in her temper and asked, "Did Jamie do this? Did he shoot you? You're a shit father but you have to help me protect him."

Ric shook his head. "No. Jamie. No."

Bonnie didn't know if Ric was saying that Jamie hadn't shot him or if he was lying to protect him. She didn't care as long as he kept the same story.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door.

Brady said, "I've got it. It's Dick."

Moments later, Richard and Mason rushed over.

Mason crouched beside Bonnie and said, "Let me do this while you talk to my brother. Go on."

She slowly got up and walked over to Richard.

"What the fuck happened here?" he asked simply.

"I don't know. Jamie isn't talking. Ric isn't making much sense when he tries to talk. I sent Lucy to look at the surveillance footage...maybe someone else was here and fled. But for now all I know is that Jamie was standing over Ric's body with a gun when we got here. He had a bruise on his face that wasn't there when he left home."

Richard scrubbed at his face. "Shit…"

Bonnie said, "All I care about is protecting my brother. If that means putting a bullet in Ric's head right now...I'll do it myself. Jamie isn't going to carry the weight on this…"

Richard realized that Bonnie was shaken even if her appearance was calm. He rested both hands on her shoulders and said, "If Jamie did this and that is a very big if...the Salvatores aren't going to start a war over it. Jamie is as much their blood as Ric is. This is something we can settle privately and quietly. Our biggest concern is making sure there weren't any other witnesses that need to disappear."

Bonnie took a deep breath. "The gym was empty when we arrived. Tyler and Lucy swept the entire place to make sure of that. And Cole is on his way to help us keep Ric alive."

"Good. We can work around this, Bonnie. Jamie will be protected at all costs."

She nodded shakily. "It never should have gotten this far. I should have done something sooner."

Richard said, "There was nothing to do short of killing him. You were trying to keep the peace. Unfortunately, peace always comes at a price."

"This price is too high and Jamie shouldn't be the one paying it," she muttered softly.

He looked into her weary eyes and said, "He's a Benedetto. Death was always going to be part of his life. It's unfortunate it happened this way, but this is the path we're on now."

She huffed out a bitter laugh. "It's never going to stop. Each generation bleeding itself drier for the empire our ancestors built. I chose this...to be this. Jamie hasn't been given a chance to choose. The kidnapping and now this shit. Fuck! What am I going to tell Mama?"

Richard pressed a kiss to her forehead. She was his boss, but he had also watched her grow up. He was her uncle in all but blood. He said, "I'll take care of Abby. Your focus needs to be on Jamie. You've been where he is right now. Whether he just took his first life or saw his first gangland shooting...you know exactly where he's standing. Use that experience to make this easier for him. He trusts you more than anyone else lately."

Bonnie nodded. "You're right. I've got to make this easier for him somehow. I should go see if he's done showering. We need to get rid of his clothes."

"Get them to me. I'll make sure the cleaners dispose of them with everything else that has to go," he said

She took a deep breath and ventured to the men's locker room. She covered her eyes and then walked into the tiled room. "Jamie, it's me. I've got my eyes covered. I just wanted to know if you were done showering."

"Yes," he replied somewhere off to the left.

Bonnie was relieved to hear his voice. "Are you decent? Can I uncover my eyes?"

"Yes."

She slowly uncovered her eyes and saw Jamie standing nervously. He was wearing black shorts, a matching tank top, and a pair of socks. His clothes and shoes had been stuffed into a bag that Lucy provided. Bonnie was glad that Lucy had thought of everything. "I'm sure you're pretty shaken up but...we need to talk."

Jamie nodded slowly and sat down on a bench.

Bonnie sat down too and said, "I need to know what happened here. I need to know the truth. No matter what happened, you're not going to be in any trouble. I promise."

He looked down at the floor. "I didn't want to be here. I don't want...I don't want him to be my dad. He was going to hurt Mama in the driveway that day. I know it."

"I get that. My dad used to hurt our mom, too. I don't remember it like you do because I was really little. But just knowing about it makes a relationship with him difficult," she replied.

Jamie looked at his sister a moment. He was glad that someone understood why he wanted nothing to do with Ric. Abby was his mother and the only parent he'd ever had. Ric had been part of his life but only as an uncle. If he had to choose between them, it was no contest. He said, "He knew I was angry at him so he said we should spar. He said it would make me feel better."

Bonnie shook her head at Ric's stupidity. His son was terrified of his violent behavior and his solution was more violence. "Is that how you got that bruise on your cheek?"

He nodded and lightly prodded at the red spot. He hissed in pain. "I kept dropping my hand. He apologized when it happened. Then he told me I could go play on the computer in his office because a friend of his was dropping by. I was watching videos on YouTube when I heard arguing downstairs. Then I heard gunshots. I hid under the desk for awhile and sent that text to you. I kept waiting for him to come upstairs to check on me but he didn't. So I went downstairs and found him like that. I picked up the gun because I didn't know if...those people were going to come back."

Bonnie had never been so relieved in her life. Ric might need killing, but her baby brother shouldn't have to do the killing. Bonnie kissed the top of his head. "I'm really sorry that you had to be here for this."

"This is what our family does. We kill people, right?" he asked looking up at Bonnie.

She frowned and said, "It's more complicated than that, Jamie. Anyway, I think that's a conversation we should have with Mama."

He argued, "She's not going to tell me anything. Mama still thinks I am a baby."

Bonnie smoothed his wet hair away from his face and said, "You are so young and none of this is right or good. She wants you to have a childhood. You should not be worried about guns or people being killed. I need to ask you another question. Do you have any idea what friend might have been meeting with Ric?"

"I don't know...it sounded like a lady. She wasn't talking in English. I...thought it might have been Italian at first but it was different," he murmured.

She nodded and tightened her arm around him. "Okay. That's good. That's really good. Thank you, Jamie."

Lucy walked into the locker room. "I need to see you for a minute, Bon."

She kissed the top of his head. "I'll be right back."

"Kay…"

Bonnie made her way over to Lucy. "What do we know?"

"Shit. The stupid son of a bitch disabled the cameras. Did you get anywhere with Jamie?"

She nodded. "He didn't pull the trigger."

Lucy did the sign of the cross in silent thanks.

Bonnie agreed wholeheartedly with her sense of relief. "Ric invited a lady 'friend' over and they argued. Jamie was upstairs in the office and didn't see anything. He didn't even understand the argument because there weren't speaking English or Italian. But he thought it sounded similar in some ways...so another Romance language. Spanish or maybe French…"

"I am going to see if I can find Ric's phone. If this woman knew to meet him here, they had to be in communication. Maybe that can helps us figure out what the fuck happened here," she sighed.

* * *

Damon didn't know what to think when he received a call from Richard Lockwood. The older man asked for Damon and Zacharias to meet him at an off the books clinic deep in Ladera Heights. Richard didn't offer many details. He only said that it was a critical matter that required delicate handling between the two organizations. It was obvious that Richard was worried that this new issue would add fuel to the already burning flames. Someone seemed dead set on sparking a war between the three biggest organizations in California.

At first, the location made Damon worry that Bonnie was sick. However, he quickly realized that wasn't likely. She would have gone to the hospital instead of some run down clinic in the middle in the Heights. Still he had texted Bonnie to ensure that she was safe and sound. He hadn't been thrilled when she left the Salvatore Manor but he understood her reasons. There were moments when the ghosts of his past haunted him, too. It made living in the manor difficult at times but it was his home. Damon had been born in the Salvator Manor and he prayed that he would die there in his old age.

He had been trying to reach his uncle since Richard's call to no avail. Damon really wanted Ric to accompany them on this trip to the Heights. However, he had been distant for the last couple days. Damon assumed it had something to do with his new agreement with Abby. He still didn't know how his uncle had convinced her to allow visitation with Jamie. It seemed like an extreme reversal even with the threat of a court battle. Nevertheless, he was happy that Ric would get to spend time with his son. He hoped that it would be one less thing for him to worry about for now.

Damon was already stressed beyond belief. He didn't really need something else on his plate. Katherine had regained consciousness a few days ago. She denied trying to kill herself but Damon didn't believe her. He had known Katherine long enough to tell when she was holding back from him. Enzo had spent some time with her and came to the same conclusion. Damon had Rose arrange a three-week stay at an upscale recovery center. Katherine was reluctant to go but Damon was intractable on the idea. She had overdosed while their daughter was in the penthouse and he was incensed. Katherine had to get some sort of help or he would never trust her alone with Nadia again.

The car pulled around the back of the run-down clinic. There were four very expensive cars in the parking lot and three armed guards protecting the building. Damon was back to feeling uneasy about this situation. He was about 80% sure that Bonnie wouldn't whack him. He was 100% sure that she wouldn't whack Stefan. However, he was glad that Zach insisted on bringing a few armed guards for back up. The Heights was not a place where the Salvatores were welcome. However, they had been extended a pass by the queen of the Heights for this occasion. Damon wondered at the necessity of somewhat neutral territory.

The three Salvatore men walked to the back door and it opened automatically.

The armed man was one of Bonnie's. He nodded respectfully and let them into the clinic.

The interior was a stark contrast from the delipidated exterior. Inside the clinic was clean, modern, and looked state of the art. They were led through the corridors to a waiting room where Bonnie was sitting with Jamie at her side.

The boy was clutching his older sister's hand. He looked terrified by their arrival.

Damon noticed his bruised cheek and silently cursed Ric.

Bonnie pressed a kiss to the crown of his head and then motioned Cesare forward. She said, "Take my brother to the break room. There has to be something in there that will interest him."

"I'm not hungry," he whispered.

"Try for me, please. I want to be able to tell Mama that you've eaten something, hmm," Bonnie asked softly.

He nodded reluctantly.

Cesare put his arm around Jamie's shoulders and whispered quietly to him.

Damon eyed Bonnie and asked, "What's going on, Bunny?"

Bonnie slowly stood up. "There is no easy way to say this...Alaric was shot tonight while Jamie was with him."

Zacharias sucked in a breath. However, his gaze hardened. He ground out, "Why is my brother here instead of the hospital?"

Damon stared at Bonnie waiting on an answer. He didn't want to react or overreact until he had the facts, but his blood was boiling. Ric was a son of a bitch but he was his uncle. He wouldn't and couldn't ignore an attempt on his life, even if the culprit was his loving wife.

"Decisions had to be made and we were lacking time and information. I got a 911 text from my brother. I went to the gym and found Alaric lying in a pool of his own blood. Jamie had the fucking gun in his hand and I...he's my brother, Damon. I thought he was the one that shot Ric. And he wasn't talking. He was scared silent. He wouldn't answer my questions and Ric was unconscious. I had to protect my brother. I decided to keep your uncle alive but I planned to wipe the scene clean. No one would ever know my brother was there," she said in a firm voice.

Stefan felt his knees go a little weak. He had come close to killing Ric himself a few weeks ago. Damon had been able to talk him off the ledge but Jamie was just a kid.

Zacharias looked horrified. He glanced back towards where Jamie had disappeared.

Damon licked his lips. "You said that you 'thought' Jamie shot Ric. Has something changed your mind?"

She nodded slowly. "Jamie started talking again once he had a shower. I guess the initial shock had worn off and he felt safe again. He told me that Ric sent him up to his office so that he could meet with someone in private. An argument ensued and then gunshots followed. Jamie texted me for help and then went to investigate. He found Ric with his gun next to him...bleeding out. He only picked up the gun because he thought the gun woman might come back."

Zacharias' fists clenched at his side. He understood why Bonnie had chosen to protect Jamie. He would have done the same in her position. He asked, "Gun woman?"

Bonnie said, "That's what Jamie told us. He heard a woman yelling at Ric in a foreign language. It might have been French or Spanish...definitely wasn't Italian. He's fluent and would have understood the conversation. I have an inkling about who this woman is because Lucy went through Ric's phone for clues. I…"

Damon moved closer to Bonnie. "Who did this to my uncle?"

"He's been sexting with a woman but there's no name for her in the phone. It's just a number. I could be way off base but my people assure me Lilly is the only woman Ric has been visiting since everything went to shit with my mother."

Zacharias gave an almost inhuman roar. "I should have killed that treacherous bitch when I had the chance! The night she had the audacity to show her fucking face at the Manor, I should have shot her in the fucking head that night! But I stayed my hand for the two of you! If she's responsible for shooting my brother...she's dead. Do you both understand me?!"

Stefan dropped into a chair because he felt faint. "No. Mother wouldn't do that. She's not a violent person."

"You don't fucking know her! That's what I've been trying to tell you from the start. You see her as a little wounded bird but she's anything but," he snapped.

Damon said, "Enough. Where is my uncle?"

Bonnie motioned for them to follow her. She led them down the hall to an operating theater. Through the windows they could see doctors working on Ric. "He is getting the best care that money can buy. The surgeon working on him works at Buena Vista. He is deeply in debt to my family right now. I cleared his debt on the condition that he haul his ass out to the Heights to save Ric's life."

Zacharias asked, "How bad is it?"

"The biggest issue is blood loss. The shooter was a poor shot and missed most of his vital organs."

Stefan asked, "Does he need donations? I think we're the same blood type."

"I don't think so. This clinic had plenty of blood on hand but we should consult Cole. He's running point over this," she said.

She tapped on the window and motioned for Cole to come out.

He walked out of the operating room and pulled down his mask.

"How is he?" Damon asked.

Cole said, "He's going to survive barring any unforeseen complications. The bullet to the leg is giving Dr. Holland the most trouble. It's lodged in Ric's tibia. The other bullets have been removed and the wounds dressed. He's responding well to anesthesia and we're transfusing whole blood right now to keep him stable."

Bonnie said, "Stefan wanted to know if you need blood donations?"

He said, "It is always good to have more on hand. Are any of you his blood type?"

Zacharias cleared his throat and said, "Stefan and I both share his blood type. We'd like to donate blood."

Cole said, "I'll get a nurse to see you in a couple minutes then. In the meantime, I want to get back in there in case Dr. Holland needs a hand."

Bonnie nodded and said, "Thank you, Cole."

He offered as small smile before putting on his mask and entering the operating room.

Bonnie looked at the three men. "I am sorry it went down this way."

Damon pulled Bonnie into a hug and said, "It's fine. Thank you for trying to save his life."

"He's your family even if he's been terrorizing mine lately. I know you love him. You've always been closest to him," she replied softly.

"What happened to Jamie's face? Did Ric hurt him?" he asked quietly.

She said, "The fucking idiot hit him in the boxing ring. I guess it was meant to be a bonding thing but it just made Jamie more afraid."

Zach winced and said, "I don't know what the fuck he was thinking."

"Probably some macho bullshit about facing fears or being a man," she said bitterly.

A nurse emerged from the operating room and said, "I will be handling the blood donation. If the donors could follow me down the hall."

Zach and Stefan nodded and followed the woman.

Damon leaned against the wall. "Do you really think it was Lilly?"

"I don't know, Damon. A woman speaking possibly French that Ric's been sexting? Does Ric have many French whores?" she asked genuinely.

He huffed out a laugh. "He has a few women he sees from time to time but my mother is the only French one to my knowledge."

Bonnie said, "I could be wrong. I'll hand the phone over so that your people can do a deep dive. The surveillance footage was zero help at the gym. He turned it off before his guest arrived."

"What the fuck was he thinking?"

She said, "I haven't a clue. He obviously trusted this woman… a lot."

"Too much," he added. "If my mother is responsible, you know what I will have to do. There won't be any alternatives."

Bonnie said, "It doesn't have to be you that pulls the trigger."

"I killed my old man. Why not make it an even pair?" he said and scrubbed a hand over his face. "I never believed that she was here for us but part of me hoped."

She moved beside Damon and took his hand. "We were both royally fucked in the parental lottery."

He kissed her hand. "Yes, we were. I'm trying not to connect dots where there aren't any…"

"I've been doing the same thing. But I don't believe in coincidences, Damon. Lilly shows up and then everything goes to shit in a matter of weeks. But your mother doesn't have the intelligence or resources to pull this off. I suppose someone could be pulling her strings," she mused.

Damon closed his eyes and said, "It could be anyone."

"Not anyone...someone that she knows. Someone that she would trust enough to take such a big risk by following."

He laughed hollowly as something occurred to him. "The stupid bitch tried to have me killed."

Bonnie's eyes darkened at the prospect. "If anyone is going to kill you, it'll be me. Where the fuck does she get off thinking she can jump the line?"

Damon glanced at his wife to see if she was joking. He shook his head with a wry smile. "Still thinking about killing me."

"No, but the point stands. The only person allowed to kill you is me. That includes your certifiable mother," she snapped.

He kissed her forehead. "Stop it. You're making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, Bunny."

She rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do?"

"I am going to take the advice you gave me after Giuseppe's funeral. It's time to put eyes on my mother. I want to know her every move," he hissed.

"You should have her suite bugged, too. Get someone onto the cleaning staff for easy access," Bonnie suggested.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Did you ever bug my penthouse?"

"So that I could hear you fucking your whores? Not likely," she said with a wrinkle of her nose.

Damon decided that was a fair point. He asked, "Is everything at the gym taken care of?"

"My people are there now. There won't be any hint of what happened at the gym tonight," she promised.

"Good…I'm sorry that Jamie was there," he murmured.

"Me, too," she said softly.


	78. The Cost of Survival

Around 2 AM, Dr. Holland and Cole Lockwood had emerged from the operating room with good news. The surgery to remove the bullets and repair the damage to Ric's leg had been successful. The doctors' only concern was the possibility of a postoperative infection. They provided detailed instructions on how to minimize Ric's risk of infection. Dr. Holland also informed Zach that Bonnie had made his services available to them indefinitely. He would stop by the Salvatore Manor periodically to monitor Alaric's recovery. The man was polite but did not seem enthused about his new role as Ric's private physician.

Zacharias asked his wife, Meredith, about Dr. Holland's reputation. She spoke about the doctor in glowing terms. Meredith assured Zach that he was one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Southern California. It made him wonder just how much money the man owed the Benedetto family to be this indebted to them. Their family's primary business in the United States was arms dealing. He couldn't imagine that the good doctor would have any use for military grade firearms. However, the other component to the Benedetto business model was smuggling. Perhaps Dr. Holland had overextended himself purchasing black market antiquities. Zach knew how easily people could find themselves in a hole that way.

He had also talked to Meredith about preparing a room for his brother at the Salvatore Manor. Ric was in stable condition but Dr. Holland wanted to wait a full 24 hours before moving him. When the time came to transport Ric home, they would be using a fully staffed ambulance. Zach wasn't willing to take any unnecessary risks with his brother's health. As vile as he was, Zacharias still grieved the loss of Giuseppe. He both loved and hated the man that had raised him. He was not ready or prepared to lose another brother in less than a month's time.

Unfortunately, the injuries that Ric sustained during the shooting were not the only cause for concern. His brother had lived a hard life and he had lost the genetic lottery. Ric had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and a bad heart. Giuseppe and Alaric had both inherited congenital heart disease from their father, Domenico. The stress caused by the shooting could act as another post operative complication. They would have to consult his long-suffering cardiologist on the matter. Fortunately, the old man had also been Giuseppe's doctor. He knew how to keep their family's secrets and wouldn't bat an eyelash at an unreported shooting victim.

Zacharias could think of a million things that he should be doing at this moment. Instead, he sat vigil beside his older brother's bed and watched the monitors as they tracked his vital signs. Damon and Stefan were keeping him apprised of everything happening outside of the makeshift hospital. Zacharias considered the benefits of arranging a similar set-up for their own organization. There was little doubt that access to this state of the art clinic had saved Alaric's life without involving law enforcement. In the past, they had doctors work out of safe houses. In worst case scenarios, critically injured men had been dropped off at emergency rooms alone. This was a much more appealing option.

Ric groaned as he stirred from an unpleasant dream. He reached to pull the oxygen mask off his face. Despite the cool gush of oxygen flowing into his nostrils, the mask made him feel as if he was suffocating. He stopped short when someone's hand impeded his progress. Ric peeled his tired eyes open to see who was about to get cursed out. However, he settled down seeing the worn expression on his younger brother's face. It looked as if Zacharias had been through hell.

Zach slowly released the oxygen mask once he was sure that Ric would leave it in place. He leaned forward to get a better look at his brother's pale face. Ric had awakened a few times since coming out of surgery in the middle of the night. However, each time he had been groggy, unfocused, and unable to stay awake for more than a few minutes. The nurse monitoring his condition assured Zach that it was normal. The anesthesia and extreme blood loss had done a real number on him. Moreover, he was on a powerful pain medication to reduce the stress on his heart.

Ric stared at Zach expectantly. He had better start talking if he expected Ric to leave on the oxygen mask.

The younger man's lips curled into a knowing smile. It didn't matter that Ric had nearly died, he was still the same asshole he had always been. He said, "You were shot tonight at Peppe's. You were brought to an off-the-books clinic where a team operated on you to save your life. The surgery was successful but you're going to need rehab on your leg. The bullet tore through muscle before becoming embedded in the bone."

Ric closed his eyes as he tried to move his leg. He hissed when it felt as if he was being sliced with a hot knife. This wasn't the first time he had been shot but this certainly felt more serious than the other times.

Zach glared at him and asked, "What the fuck did I just say to you? I said you were going to need rehab for your leg. And you thought it was a good idea to move that fucking leg?"

He forced a small grin at his brother. Ric knew he was going to be okay if Zacharias was cursing at him. If there was truly something to be worried about his soft-hearted little brother would be teary-eyed and acting like a mother hen.

A latina woman in her 30's walked into the room having heard Zach's tirade from down the hall. She smiled and said, "I am glad to see that you are awake, Mr. Salvatore. I'm Carmen and I will be taking care of you today."

Zach sat back in his chair with an unhappy scowl. He asked, "Can you get that oxygen mask off him? He's already tried to pull it off once. He'll do it again soon enough. He's an impatient son of a bitch."

She walked over to the monitor and checked Ric's O2 stats. She said, "Your brother still needs oxygen but I can switch him to a nose cannula. It will make it easier for him to communicate. And it should be a little more comfortable for him. Would that be okay, Mr. Salvatore?"

Ric nodded at her. He had a lot of questions and he couldn't ask any of them with the oxygen mask muffling him.

Zach said, "Yes, that would be great."

She moved to the other side of the room and opened a cabinet. Moments later, she returned with a nasal cannula and made the switch. Once Ric was settled, she said, "If you start feeling short of breath don't hesitate to call for me. I am going to increase your oxygen just to err on the side of caution."

Carmen changed the oxygen flow on the monitor and then checked to make sure his IV's were untangled.

Ric croaked, "Thank you…"

Zach frowned and said, "Sounds like his throat is a little dry. Can he have water?"

She nodded and said, "But only a few sips at a time. Dr. Holland has restricted him to liquids for now. Water, juice, ice chips, and even some broth if he's hungry."

Zach stood up and grabbed the water pitcher and poured a cup for Ric. He added a straw and then retook his seat.

She said, "I'll be right down the hall if you need me."

"Thank you, Nurse Carmen," Zach said.

She quietly slipped out of the room and closed the door to give the brothers privacy.

Alaric fiddled with the bed control until he was propped up.

Zach held the cup for Ric so that he could drink from the straw easily.

The man took a few sips and then collapsed against the pillows from the effort. He scowled at the smug look on his brother's face. Ric asked, "Where is Jamie?"

He put the cup down and gave Ric his full attention. "Jamie is at home with Abigail. But there's talk of sending him to Milazzo for a few weeks. Nothing has been decided yet but he's obviously shaken up from last night."

Ric suddenly realized that he had no idea what time it was. Unfortunately, his room lacked windows so he couldn't even tell if it was day or night. He asked, "What time is it?"

Zach glanced at his watch and said, "Noon."

He closed his eyes in exhaustion. "I've been out that long?"

"Well, you had major surgery, fratello. You were lucky that the hitter was such a bad fucking shot. A better marksman at such close range would have put you out of your fucking misery," he replied.

Ric closed his eyes again. "How is Jamie? You said that he was shaken up…"

"He was in shock for awhile...couldn't even speak to hear Bonnie tell it. He was well enough to Skype with Big John this morning."

He snorted, "I suppose he's the one that suggested sending my son halfway across the world."

Zach frowned and shook his head. "No, that came down from his big sister."

"Bonnie?" he asked surprised.

"She's angling to send Abby and all of the kids home to Milazzo. The threat here is making her uncomfortable. She would probably proposing sending Sarah if she thought Damon would agree to it. The game changed last night when someone tried to whack you, Ric."

Ric conceded, "The Benedetto compound is probably one of the safest places in the world for them. Might do Jamie some good to go home. That's what Abby always calls Milazzo...home."

Zach said, "I've noticed that Bonnie does the same thing."

"It might be good for Jamie to get away from California for awhile...get away from me," he muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"I tried to make things better with him last night, but I only made things worse," he admitted.

Zach frowned and replied, "Taking the boy to Peppe's was probably the dumbest decision you've had in awhile. Your son is afraid of you…"

Ric chuckled darkly and said, "My son...my son thought about killing me last night. I saw it in his eyes. He looked so much like Abby in the moment. I was sure he was going to pull the trigger."

The younger man's brows furrowed in confusion. He wondered if perhaps Jamie had lied about a mystery woman gunning down Ric to cover his own crime. They had all taken Jamie at his word with little evidence to the contrary. The only proof of this alleged gunwoman existing was a message she sent Ric saying she was on the way to the gym. Zach licked his lips anxiously as he gathered the courage to ask a question he almost certainly didn't want answered. Lilly being untrustworthy was more palatable that his 11-year-old nephew trying to whack his own father.

He asked, "He didn't...did Jamie shoot you?"

"No. Lilly is the one that shot me like a fucking dog...crazy bitch. Jamie came downstairs after she took off. I couldn't move and could barely talk. I told him to call for help but he wouldn't say a word. He just kept looking at me. Then he picked up my gun and I swear to God I thought he was going to end me right there. It was like I could see him mentally weighing his options. He must have decided that he couldn't do it because he turned away from me and looked towards the main entrance," he recounted in a pained voice.

Zach said, "I have no idea what the fuck to say to that."

"That it's my fault. I lied to the kid his whole life to protect my marriage to Jo. Then once he finds out he's my kid, I make shit worse by flying off the handle with Abby. I've always prided myself on having my shit together. I have a lot of flaws but I've never been a woman batterer. All the terrible shit I picked up from Gio, I was proud that smacking around women and children wasn't one of them."

He sighed heavily. "I'm not giving you a pass, but none of us have been okay since Giuseppe died. It's good that he's gone...fucking psychopath that he was. None of us need his shit in our lives. But that doesn't mean that losing him hasn't left some sort of mark on us. When did you start drinking heavier than normal?"

Ric was unwilling to agree with Zach but he saw the truth of his words. Ric had started drinking more the moment they decided that Giuseppe had to die. It had only grown worse in the aftermath of his death. Ric was a few years older than Zach was so he actually had memories of their father. However, Giuseppe was the one that raised him as he grew into manhood. He loved his brother despite the years of abuse.

"Fuck off," was his erudite response.

Zach said, "Damon and I both think that you need to spend some time in rehab, Alaric. We love the fuck out of you, but you are at risk of destroying the people you love. We're not going to stand by and let you do that. We thought you were capable of pulling yourself out of this tailspin but we were wrong."

"I don't…"

Zach shook his head. "This isn't a suggestion. It's an order from Damon. You're going to rehab and you're going to back off this custody shit with Abby until you're stable. If you don't agree, we'll send you back to Milazzo with our uncles. You know as well as I do that our family home can be a safe haven or a prison depending on the situation."

Ric gritted his teeth and glared at his brother. "You expect me to leave the family with war on the horizon?"

"You are useless to us like this. You were nearly killed by a crazy bitch that has probably never held a gun in her fucking life. Let's be honest it's a good thing that she's such a terrible shot or you would have died," he snapped.

He went quiet because it was true. Ric was so wrapped up in his own shit that he hadn't realized she was behaving strangely. He frowned, "I didn't even see it coming. She was antsy about telling Stefan that I might be his father. I told her that we all agreed that wasn't something we were doing."

Zach looked puzzled. "All of this because she wants Stefan to know he might be your kid? That can't be the whole thing…"

"It's what we argued about last night. She's mentioned it a few times before...usually after we've fucked."

The younger man stood up from his chair and ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair. "How much of a possibility is this, Ric?"

"Honestly? I was fucking Lilly almost as much as Gio was at the time...maybe more. I was a teenager and my sister-in-law was willing to open her legs whenever I even looked at her."

"What the fuck does she want? She went as far as trying to kill you. It can't be about Stefan knowing the truth. It has something to do with someone trying to provoke a war between the families," Zach wondered aloud.

Ric blinked. "You can't think she's involved in that. I mean Damon could have been killed that night outside the hospital. One stray bullet and he would have been dead."

An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. "Maybe Lilly didn't want Damon dead that night, but she arranged the perfect way to spark a war between us and the Benedettos. If Tyler would have died that night without being able to tell Bonnie that Damon warned him about the driveby…"

Ric said, "It would have been like knocking over dominoes. I've known Lilly most of my life. She's not smart enough to pull off something like this…"

"Of course not...someone is obviously pulling her strings. I can only think that Lilly was pressing the issue about Stefan because she wants to use him in some way. Maybe make him boss after Damon was out of the way. You might be more inclined to support your own son's rise to power," he proposed.

Ric snorted. "There's no way in hell the Benedettos would stand for Stefan taking what belongs to Bonnie's son."

Zach said, "I don't know. Bonnie loves Stefan like a brother. I don't see her killing him over the business. Although, maybe Bonnie wasn't meant to survive this either."

The older man shifted in discomfort. "Lilly wouldn't kill her own grandchildren."

He glared Ric. "You and Stefan give this bitch entirely too much benefit of doubt. She never had much in the way of maternal instincts. Why would she give a fuck about grandchildren that Damon never intends for her to know? She certainly hasn't acted as if she gave a shit about Damon until recently. She's been focusing on Stefan…"

"Because he's the weak link," Ric said with a sigh.

"Our nephew is a good kid but he can be just as unhinged as the rest of us...probably more so because he repressing all the shit we work through with alcohol and violence. Stefan is a simmering pot of rage, you learned that when he nearly whacked you in December. Which was a breakdown courtesy of the Lilly. And for some reason you decided to fuck her again anyway. Please, tell me that you've been using condoms."

Ric scowled and said, "Lilly is too old to get pregnant."

Zach looked like he would have slapped his brother if he weren't fourteen hours removed from being shot. He asked, "Are you fucking stupid?"

"I got shot by my brother's ex-wife that I've been fucking off and on since I was sixteen. Yes, I would say that I'm fucking stupid," he snapped.

"Glad we can agree on something," Zach replied heatedly.

* * *

Bonnie was more than a little nervous about how tonight would play out. However, she had worked too hard to let Klaus slip through her fingers now. The attempt to incite violence between their organizations made this partnership even more crucial. Her relationship with Damon was improving but they were too volatile for her to rely solely on that. Moreover, the driveby outside the hospital reminded them all that nothing was guaranteed. Damon's position as boss meant that he could be killed or imprisoned at any time. The cold truth was that Bonnie needed to be prepared to operate her business without him.

It would be easier to focus on tonight's setup if she wasn't worried about her family's domestic issues. Unfortunately, Ric had put them all in a terrible position. Jamie was bearing the brunt of his father's stupidity but it had ripple effects for the entire family. Bonnie was still trying to process Damon's claim that Jamie had considered killing Alaric after he had been shot. She wasn't inclined to believe a word from his uncle's mouth. However, Ric had been around enough killers to see the truth in his own son's eyes. Bonnie was more certain than ever that the right place for Jamie was Milazzo. Big John and Gianni were the stable male role models that her brother desperately needed. Moreover, outside of Shadow Hills, Bonnie couldn't think of a place where she had ever felt safer.

Sending her family to Milazzo would certainly ease Bonnie's burden. She could focus more of her attention on the business and less on the daunting task of keeping them safe. However, she was also mindful of the fact that sending Jamie away could do more harm than good. She didn't want to alienate her brother or make him feel as if he was being punished. Abby had deferred the decision to the leader of their family. She would take the children to Milazzo if that was what Bonnie thought was best. Her position as boss flipped the typical mother/daughter dynamics on its head. Nevertheless, Bonnie was grateful that Abby's support had been unwavering.

Tyler said, "They're coming out."

Bonnie broke out of her musing and looked toward the back entrance of Klaus' club.

Klaus was walking toward the armored luxury van with Marcel and Vincent.

She hadn't anticipated Vincent accompanying them but it didn't alter her plans.

The three men climbed into the van and moved into the empty seats. Once everyone was seated, Tyler quickly pulled away from the club. They had a tight schedule to keep tonight.

Bonnie smiled. "Hi, Nik. How are you doing tonight?"

"Good. And you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

There had been rumors flying around all day. Someone from the Salvatore family had been hit but no one seemed to know who it was or if they survived. Elijah had his suspicions because he reached out to Alaric but only received a terse text in response. The two men were the best of friends and spoke almost daily. Under normal circumstances, Alaric would have called Elijah.

She said, "Never better. How is Kol doing?"

Klaus suppressed a smirk at how quickly Bonnie maneuvered away from the top he wished to discuss. He wondered how much she knew. He said, "He's been bitching all day about the hospital, so I'd say that he's on the mend. I am sure when he's released tomorrow, he will also complain about home, too."

Truthfully, Kol had a long road ahead of him. However, being released from the hospital was a step in the right direction. Esther had even seen fit to return to California to support her son's convalescence. She had been fussing over Kol for days and pestering the hospital staff. Although, he complained about Esther's mothering, Kol was soaking up all the attention. Being the fifth out of seven children meant he had missed out on some of this attention as a child.

Bonnie chuckled and said, "There isn't much else to do when you are confined to a bed. Why not make everyone around you miserable, too?"

He hummed and said, "I suppose that is true."

Lucy added, "Misery loves company."

Bonnie nodded in agreement. She said, "Michael should be waiting for us at the warehouse with the product."

Klaus motioned to the black duffel bags they had brought to the van. "And we have the money. I'll want to sample to a few packages to ensure everything is on the up and up. You understand…"

She chuckled softly, "I brought some testing kits or you can do it the old fashioned way."

Vincent cleared his throat. Elijah had given him strict orders to get Klaus out of that warehouse in one piece and not high. He had put particular emphasis on ensuring his younger brother wasn't high around Bonnie. Vincent got the feeling he was missing pieces of the puzzle. Even as Elijah's second-in-command, he knew there were certain secrets he would never be privy to.

Klaus smiled at Bonnie's foresight. "While the old fashioned way would be infinitely more fun, I'm afraid I have to be a professional tonight."

Bonnie smirked at him and asked, "Is big brother making you behave?"

"Unfortunately. I suppose I will just have to celebrate this successful partnership some other night," Klaus said.

They were five minutes away from the warehouse when Bonnie's burner phone began to ring. She closed her eyes for a moment because this was the signal. She answered the call, "Uncle Richie? We're on our way to the warehouse now."

" _Don't go to the warehouse, Bonnie. Our guy on the organized crime task force just called me. They're going to bust the warehouse."_

"Shit," Bonnie said. "We'll call it off then."

" _No. that's not necessary. Most of the product hasn't arrived at the warehouse. We'll just change locations. I have already spoken to Rudy about it. I'll text you the location. Then you need to get rid of that phone."_

Bonnie said, "Alright. I'll see you soon."

Klaus looked at Bonnie expectantly. He had been able to overhear part of the conversation but not everything.

She said, "We've had a change in plans. The feds know about the deal. They're going to bust the warehouse. The drugs were being transported to the warehouse in a staggered convoy. Most of the product hasn't arrived. Richard is going to reroute the convoy to a different location. The deal still goes down tonight if you want."

Klaus looked at Vincent to confer silently.

Vincent asked, "Do you think it's safe?"

"I wouldn't be going if I didn't," Bonnie replied.

Klaus nodded. "Then we get this done tonight."

Bonnie showed the address to Klaus and then tossed her phone to Lucy in the front seat. "Destroy that phone, Luce."

Lucy rattled the address off to Tyler and then took out the SIM card before snapping the cheap thing in half.

Tyler made a sharp U-turn and headed towards the Heights where the new exchange would happen.

Klaus sent a message to his couriers redirecting them to the new address.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived a automotive garage in the Heights. A bay door opened and Tyler drove right inside and parked.

Inside the cocaine was already being unloaded from the vehicles.

Bonnie climbed out the van and walked over to her father. She hugged him. "I am glad you are safe, Abba."

"I am glad that you are safe, too," he said with a relieved smile.

Klaus and Marcel inspected the product.

Lucy said, "I have the testing kits if you want to begin."

"Yes," said Klaus. It was better to get it done quickly. His couriers would arrive soon and they could get moving.

A handsome young man walked up to Bonnie and Rudy.

Rudy said, "Bonnie, I'd like for you to meet Tomas. He's Tommy's oldest son."

Tomas gave a grim smile and shook Bonnie's hand. "I am sorry about the inconvenience tonight."

"No harm done as long as we walk away from tonight without shiny bracelets," she replied.

"That is something we can agree on," he replied with a nod.

"It's nice to meet you. My dad has talked about you a lot," Bonnie said with an amused smile. Rudy was obviously proud of his godson.

He chuckled and said, "It is nice to meet you, too. My dad has talked about you alot, too. Apparently, you are an accomplished dancer."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow and looked at her father.

He said, "It is a father's prerogative to brag about their children. You and Tomas have given Tommy and I a lot to be proud of."

They watched as Klaus and Marcel tested the product to make sure it was as advertised. Once they were satisfied with the quality, they handed the money over to Tomas.

Tomas shook Klaus' hand. "It was nice doing business with you, Mr. Mikaelson. I look forward to doing this again soon."

"I believe that we will," Klaus said with a nod.

Rudy clapped Tomas on the back. "Tell your father that I'll come up for a visit soon."

Tomas nodded in understanding. "I'll let him know."

* * *

Bonnie walked into her bedroom and kicked off her boots. She was exhausted and felt glad that her night was finally over. Bonnie would be happier if Tyler was with her, but their relationship had rules. The first rule was that Sarah could not know that they were dating yet. Sometimes Bonnie hated the rule that she made. However, she didn't want to confuse her little girl by introducing Tyler as her boyfriend so soon. Moreover, they were both on the rebound. Bonnie wasn't naive enough to ignore the possibility of their relationship ending as quickly as it had began. If she had her heartbroken, she didn't want Sarah to suffer, too.

She laid across the bed and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. She had been without it for several hours now. Bonnie frowned at a half dozen messages from Damon. She called him to see what was wrong. Bonnie hoped that Ric hadn't kicked the bucket while she was out of touch.

 _Damon answered immediately, he demanded. "Where the hell are you?"_

Bonnie bristled at his tone but decided to give him some leeway. It was obvious that he was upset about something. She said, "I am going to give you a moment to rethink your tone of voice. It's late and I'm not in the mood to argue with you, Damon. If you can't be respectful, we can try this again in the morning."

 _He went quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry. I am not interested in arguing with you either. I certainly didn't mean to be disrespectful. I heard that there was a drug bust tonight. I knew that you were supposed to be with Klaus. I was worried that you got arrested when I couldn't get in touch with you."_

She softened hearing the genuine concern for her safety. She said, "I am fine, Damon. I just made it back home a few minutes ago."

" _I'm on my way to Abby's house now. Can I see you?" he asked tentatively._

Bonnie was tempted to say no because she was tired. However, Damon was trying not to be a complete asshole. She felt it was her duty to meet him halfway. He did have a legitimate reason to be concerned about her. She took a deep breath and said, "Okay. How far away are you?"

" _Maybe five minutes away?" he replied._

"I'll see you when you get here," she said. Bonnie ended the call and groaned. She laid there for a few minutes and literally felt her eyes about to fall closed.

Bonnie pulled herself back off the bed with a groan and stripped off her clothes. She changed into a pair of soft cotton shorts and a tank top. Then she threw an oversized cardigan over it. Bonnie planned to crawl into bed the moment Damon left.

She padded out the bedroom with a yawn and then headed onto the front porch just as Damon pulled up. She leaned against a pillar and waited for him to get out of the car.

Damon looked like a hundred miles of bad road. He hadn't slept in over 24-hours at this point. He walked up the walkway quickly and pulled Bonnie into a hug without thought. He remained quiet for a moment as his heart rate returned to a normal rhythm. He asked, "Why didn't you answer your phone, Bunny? I was worried sick about you."

"Who takes a cell phone to a drug buy, Damon?" she asked seriously.

He frowned at her but had to admit that she was right. The feds could subpoena GPS information from phone companies to learn where a phone was located at a particular time. "What happened? All I heard was that several people got scooped up during a raid. It took a lot of work to find out that only Morra's people were arrested. Why weren't you and Klaus there?"

Bonnie considered her husband for a moment and said, "We received a warning from someone on our payroll that the bust was going down tonight. It gave us enough time to change course and locations."

Damon raised an eyebrow at Bonnie's explanation because something felt off about it. If he wasn't dead on his feet, he probably would have figured it out on his first try. "Then how come some of Morra's guys were arrested tonight?"

"I guess not everyone got the message in time. It's unfortunate," she replied with feigned concern.

He slowly released Bonnie as he mulled over her words. "That's one hell of an oversight, Bunny."

She said, "My business, is not your business. I've made this clear to you. All you need to know is that I am safe, unharmed, and not in police custody. I can say the same for every member of the Mikaelson organization."

Damon studied her closely and then broke out into a smile. "My sneaky little Bunny."

Bonnie huffed out a laugh and sat down on the porch swing. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. I am the picture of innocence."

"You are a duplicitous manipulative bitch but I happen to love that about you even when it's directed at me," Damon said with a grin.

She laughed harder and said, "We have such sickeningly sweet pet names for each other ' _duplicitous manipulative bitch' 'alcoholic whore'."_

"You've never call me an alcoholic whore," he said with a frown.

She chuckled and said, "Yes, I have. Maybe just not to your face. Or maybe I called you a cokehead whore."

He hummed and sat beside her on the porch swing. He said, "You have definitely called me a cokehead and a whore. You're right we are practically swooning over each other."

Bonnie elbowed him gently. "You look like shit."

"Well, you look beautiful," he said with a grin.

"Liar. I am going to have bags under my eyes by morning," she complained.

Damon shook his head. "You always look beautiful to me."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Butter me up when I'm not working on three hours of sleep. Cole is going to chew me out about not resting. But today wasn't my fault…"

"You had three hours? I am officially envious. I can't remember the last time I closed my eyes. It was probably the night before last," he complained.

"You should be in bed," she pointed out.

Damon asked, "How could I sleep knowing my pretty little wife is out in the streets being a drug queenpin while the feds are sniffing around?"

"I am not a drug queenpin. I didn't even touch the stuff. You know my family's rule we don't sell drugs or people," she said haughtily.

He chuckled at her offended tone. He said, "Excuse me for mislabeling you."

"You are forgiven." She said, "But seriously, you should be at home in bed, Damon. Running around on no sleep is dangerous. It makes you an easy target."

"You mean just in case my mother tries to whack me again?" he asked bitterly.

Bonnie felt bad for him. She squeezed his hand. "Do you want me to just kill her for you? I could arrange something quick and painless. You know Cris loves experimenting with poisons and shit. We can slip a little something in her morning pot of tea and that will be the end of her."

Damon considered Bonnie for a moment and realized that she was serious. It was actually a heartwarming offer in his estimation. He said, "No, I need her alive for now. It took a few hours to convince Zach of that. He was ready to murder her last night."

"I don't blame him. I'd kill anyone that dared take a shot at one of my siblings or cousins," she said darkly.

Damon said, "I agree but she's more useful alive until we find out who she's working with. Then I'll throw her to Zach. He can kill her so that Stefan doesn't look at me with those sad fucking eyes of his."

Bonnie asked, "He's not still claiming that she's innocent, is he?"

"Not since Ric woke up and told us she's the one that shot him. Now he's just fucking sad. He actually fooled himself into believing one of our parents was capable of loving us."

She said, "You know that there's something wrong with Lilly, not the two of you."

He laughed tiredly. "That's what I told Stefan but…"

Bonnie rested her head on his shoulder. "I get it. Watching Mama raise my siblings makes me feel...broken. I know she loves me but it'll never be the same as what they had-a real mother. It makes me wonder what was wrong with me. Maybe it was just that Rudy was my father, you know? Maybe she couldn't love the child of a man that beat the shit out of her for years."

Damon wondered the same thing about his own mother. It might be why she always had a softer spot for Stefan. He was the kid that she wanted to take when she left Giuseppe. It seemed like she truly believed that Alaric was his father. There was no doubt that Giuseppe was Damon's father. His brothers had been too young for her to fuck when Damon was born. "Do you ever feel that way when you look at Sarah? After everything I did to you?"

Bonnie shook her head and said, "Sarah is my little gift from God. You can't understand the strength that little girl gave me. I had to survive for her because she needed me. Everything I do now is making sure she grows up better than I did. That she doesn't end up broken and desperate for love and attention from the wrong men. I never want kind words and a nice smile to be enough for Sarah to follow a grown man into a bedroom at a party. And God forbid if someone does hurt her, I want Sarah to know that I will burn the entire world to get vengeance for her."

Damon took her hand and kissed it softly. "I want that for her, too. I don't want her to cope with the shit life will throw at her in the ways that I have. Addiction runs so heavy in my family…"

"Mine, too," Bonnie added. "It's one of the reasons I didn't start drinking even when I was depressed. I was scared of the pit I might fall into. Not that I handled my depression in any healthy or rational way."

He chuckled. "Why the fuck did we think it was a good idea to have children?"

She said, "Well, it was expected of us...continuing the bloodline and all that. Besides, I'm Catholic. I don't believe in condoms."

Damon snorted and said, "You'll slit a man's throat but you draw the line at prophylactics?"

Bonnie laughed heartily and said, "My relationship with religion is multilayered and paradoxical. Mind your business, heathen."

He smiled at her and then closed his eyes for a moment. "At least our kids will be beautiful. How could they not be? I mean look at the two of us. We're fucking stunning, Bunny."

"I am not about to stroke your ego. It is big enough, Salvatore," she teased.

Damon chuckled and said, "I am going to be good and not make a joke about my big cock right now."

"Does it count as being good if you still mention your supposedly big cock?" she asked.

"Supposedly?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "You can't mean that Tyler's is bigger!"

Bonnie laughed harder and rested a hand on her belly. "Do you really want to talk about another man's cock?"

"No, but is it bigger than mine?" he asked.

"Are you drunk?"

"No."

She gave him a look.

"No! I had two drinks with dinner. You know that's barely a drop in the bucket for me. Now stop avoiding the question."

Bonnie shook her head. "I am not telling you about Tyler's junk. That's weird even for us."

Damon relaxed and grinned. "Then he is smaller than I am. You wouldn't hold back if you could say he was bigger. You like knocking me down a peg whenever possible."

"I was just trying to be nice to you since your mother is plotting against you. Tyler is a superior lover."

He snorted. "I don't believe that for a second."

She shrugged and said, "Believe what you like. He's...he knows what I like because he asked me. And if I didn't know what I liked, we experimented to find out. That is what making love should be, not what we used to do. You and I used to fuck and that has a place in a marriage, too."

Damon looked as if he had been slapped. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get angry at me. You are the one that kept pursuing this conversation," she huffed.

"I'm not angry...I just want to understand," he muttered.

Bonnie said, "You and I fucked a lot and it was good. I enjoyed it. But it was never really about what I wanted or liked. You would come into the bedroom at night and decide that we should have sex and we did. You controlled what we did and how we did it. I didn't object because I liked making you happy but there wasn't room for me to figure out what I liked. It was always consensual so don't think I am suggesting otherwise."

He frowned as he considered what Bonnie was saying to him. He asked, "Why didn't you ever say anything? If there was stuff you wanted to...I'm a very open-minded man."

"With your wife?" she asked with a deadpan expression.

Damon admitted, "I probably would have been reluctant in the beginning but I would have come around. There was a whole teaching you about sex thing that ended up being a kind of kink for me."

Bonnie laughed at that. "I watched a lot of porn to learn about sex."

He stared at her slack jawed. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. I started watching porn once we were married. I knew the clinical stuff about sex. And of course I knew certain aspects because of what happened when I was sixteen. But I felt like I didn't know the stuff that would keep my husband's attention. So I watched porn on the internet."

"I have so many questions…"

She said, "And I am not going to answer any of them."

"What? You can't tell me that you were watching porn and then just shut down," he argued.

Bonnie said, "Let's draw this out to it's logical conclusion. You're going to leave here erect and lonely. Why do that to yourself?"

He said, "You know what...I'm adding mean to your list attributes. You're a cold woman, Bunny."

"Do you still love me?" she asked mockingly.

"Infinitely more than you can understand," he said sincerely.

She elbowed him in the stomach. "Stop…"

Damon grabbed her elbow with a grin. "Stop elbowing me, woman. Your elbows are pointy."

She was about to say something snarky but instead grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. "Here feel that!"

He let her elbow go and put his other hand on her stomach, too. "Wow, that's actually pretty hard."

"Yeah, I know," she said with a small smile. "They've been moving and kicking a lot lately."

"Really? Have you started thinking of names and all that?"

Bonnie nodded said, "Mostly family names...from both of our families. Excluding your father and grandfather because fuck both of those guys."

He chuckled deeply. "I guess that is fair. Is there a name you like most?"

"I have been pretty set of Stefano from the moment Dr. Huerta told me one of the twins was a boy."

Damon beamed and said, "Stefano is a good name."

"He's been a good brother to both of us. For a middle name, I was think Paul or Alonzo. Without the two of them, Stefan and I would be dead," she said reverentially.

Damon knew that Zach wouldn't be thrilled with his great-nephew having the name of a traitor but Bonnie's reasoning as indisputable. Whatever hostilities Alonzo harbored against Giuseppe it didn't stop him from protecting Stefan outside that church.

"Those are both sold choices."

"You're not upset that I didn't choose Damon Jr?"

He laughed and said, "Hell no. Why the fuck would I want to curse our son with my name?"

Bonnie chuckled softly. "Had you thought of any names?"

"Not really. I'm not good at naming shit. Naming our kids feels like something I shouldn't fuck up. What about girl names? Sheila?"

She shook her head. "Too much pressure to fill those shoes. Having people tell me that I remind them of Grams is enough pressure. I wouldn't want that for our baby girl. I was thinking Sofia, Emilia, or Gianna."

He chuckled and asked, "Gianna as homage to your uncle?"

She laughed and said, "There are a lot of boys named Gianni or Johnny because of my uncle. But I can't think of any girls named Gianna. I know he isn't fond of you but he's been such an important part of my life."

"What do you think of Rosemary as a middle or first name?"

"For your grandmother? I think that would be sweet, Damon," she said.

He said, "Gianna Rosemary Salvatore and Stefano Paolo Salvatore. Those are good names, Bunny. Strong names."

She corrected him, "Gianna Rosemary Bennett-Salvatore. Stefano Paolo Bennett-Salvatore. So that our children never forget where they come from."

Damon huffed out a laugh. "When they have to learn to spell all that, I am sending them to you. I won't take the blame for those incredibly long names."

Bonnie stuck her tongue out at him. "You're lucky that I am a nice Bennett woman. Or did you not notice that my cousins all bear the last name Bennett regardless of the marital status of their parents. We do not abandon our identity for any man. Marriage can be temporary but the blood in our veins never changes."

He shook his head with a smile. "My militant little wife. How did I never notice?"

"You didn't look close enough and I am good at pretending," she said with a shrug.

"Do you still feel the need to pretend with me?"

"No. Either I tell you the truth or say it's none of your business."

Damon hummed in agreement and closed his eyes for a moment.

Bonnie settled against his side and stared up at the sky. After a few minutes, she realized that Damon had gone completely still. She looked at him closely and said "Damon…"

"Hmm?"

"You need to go home. You're exhausted and you are about to fall asleep on my mother's porch."

Damon opened his bleary eyes. "I'm not ready to leave you yet. I want to see Sarah, too."

Bonnie sighed softly. "Come on...you can crash on the couch. Sarah will be happy to see you in the morning."

"Really?"

She nodded and said, "It's a long way back to the manor. I won't have you driving in this state."

Damon watched as she stood up.

"Come on. This offers expires the moment I step into the house without you."

He slowly got up with a groan.

She laughed softly. "You sound like an old man."

"I am an old man, Bunny. At least I feel like one," he complained as he walked into the house with her.

Bonnie nodded her head toward the living room. "I'll go scrounge up some linens and pillows for the couch, yeah."

"Thanks," he said. Damon walked into the living room and took off his jacket. He sat down on the couch closed his eyes while he waited for Bonnie.

She returned a few minutes later and asked, "Are you wake?"

He groaned and said, "Mostly…"

"Well, take your shoes off. Mama will have your head if she finds your shoes on her couch."

Damon took off his shoes and then stretched out on the couch.

Bonnie shook her head since she'd brought a sheet for nothing. She draped a blanket over Damon and then handed him two pillows. "I'll see you in the morning."

Damon stuffed the pillows under his head. "Thank you, Bunny."

"You're welcome," she replied. Bonnie turned out the lights and then left the room.


End file.
